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Back To School Gnome Craft W/Printable Template

As the summer sun starts to set, and the smell of sharpened pencils fills the air, it’s time to get ready for another exciting school year!

Kickstart your child’s enthusiasm with a fun-filled DIY craft project that will not only ignite their creativity but also prepare them for the school year ahead.

This whimsical back to school gnome craft, complete with a quirky pencil hat and an apple, is more than just a delightful craft. It’s a great way to practice fine motor skills and more!

Try it out this school year and be sure to check out all of our fun back to school crafts for more ideas!

School Gnome Paper Craft

school themed gnome craft image collage with the words back to school gnome craft

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This craft is perfect for teaching young children about patience, focus, and dexterity, all while having so much fun! Let’s explore how this cute gnome comes together and helps your little ones gear up for school in the most delightful way!

Supplies

  • Colored cardstock or construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Gnome template (click the “click here to get this freebie” image at the end to open the form)
color, cut, and paste back to school gnome craft mockup

Directions

Start by downloading the gnome template and printing it out. Once you have the template printed, gather the materials needed for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this craft to life!

First, encourage your child to start by gluing the lead to the tip of the gnome’s hat.

hands gluing lead pencil piece to back to school gnome hat

Next, guide your child to glue the pencil piece about 0.5″ from the bottom of the lead piece.

hands gluing yellow pencil piece to back to school gnome hat

Now, glue the eraser piece to the bottom of the hat.

hands gluing eraser pencil piece to back to school gnome hat

Make the gnome’s face by gluing the beard to the bottom of the face.

hands gluing beard to back to school gnome craft

Take the eyes and glue them in the middle of the face.

hands gluing eye to back to school gnome craft

Position the nose on the gnome by placing half on the face and half on the beard, then glue it in place.

hands gluing nose to back to school gnome craft

Glue the hat to the top of the gnome’s head, slightly overlapping the eyes.

pencil hat to back to school gnome craft

Help your child to place the gnome’s head on the top of the body and glue it in place.

hands gluing head to back to school gnome craft

Arrange the gnome’s shoes at the bottom of the body and glue them down.

hands gluing shoe to back to school gnome craft

Glue the apple in the middle of the body, then attach the stem to the top of the apple.

hands gluing apple to back to school gnome craft

Finally, glue the hands, one on each side, to the apple.

hands gluing hand to back to school gnome craft

Be sure to check out our other summer crafts while you’re here! Your kids will love creating more fun projects like this one!

back to school gnome craft

Welcome Back To School Ideas

As we inch closer to the new school year, it’s time to dust off those backpacks and fill them with not just pencils and notebooks, but also a dash of excitement and a sprinkle of inspiration.

Whether you’re trying to get your kids excited to go back to school or a teacher welcoming a new group of younger students, there are plenty of different ways to add some fun to the mix. Here are some ideas to help jumpstart the new school year!

2 back to school gnome crafts

School Themed Children’s Books

Break out the books and begin reading! These hand-picked books are perfect for little ones who may be a little anxious or excited about the new school year.

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates – This silly book is about a dinosaur named Penelope who is starting school and just can’t resist eating her classmates! Kids will love the fun drawings and crazy antics of Penelope, while also learning that being mistreated is never fun.

Chairs On Strike – The chairs have had enough of all the crazy things the kids do to them so they go on strike! This story helps kids learn to take care of their property and has lots of fun and silly humor.

Daniel Goes To School – If you have a little one who’s starting preschool or kindergarten and is reluctant to be away from you, this book is perfect for them! Daniel Tiger learns “grown-ups come back” at the end of every school day. We love this cute book!

2 back to school gnome crafts

School Crafts For Kids

Before your kids dive into shopping for supplies and picking out new backpacks, take a moment to indulge in some creative fun!

Pencil Paper Bag Puppet Craft – This is an engaging and fun activity perfect for the back-to-school season. It’s perfect for getting kids excited about the start of a new school year.

It helps encourage pretend play and imagination and requires only simple materials like a paper bag, construction paper, scissors, and glue.

Collage image of School Crafts For Kids

Crayon Headband Craft – Dive into a world of vibrant creativity with this cute craft for kids of all ages. All you need is our free PDF file template and a few pieces of colored paper. Kids can bring their favorite colored crayons to life and show off their masterpieces on their heads!

Photo Bus Craft – This is a great project for kids, especially when they’re gearing up for the school year. Kids can make the bus, then pop their own photo in the window of the bus! It’s super fun, helps with those first-day jitters, and is a cute keepsake.

Popsicle Stick Crayon Craft – Need a colorful way to keep the kids engaged? This project is it!

With popsicle sticks, paint, and paper, kiddos can create one or many crayons of their own to display at home or in the classroom. Just download our free printable template to get started!

Back To School Activities

These editable first day of school signs are a fun way for parents to capture the excitement of their child’s big day. With signs from preschool to 6th grade, these printables can be personalized with the school year.

The colorful design makes for a great photo prop, that can help create a memorable snapshot that captures the start of a new school year.

hand holding back to school gnome craft with another one in the background

Our first day of school printable book is one of the best ways to celebrate the beginning of a new school year. It’s fun and engaging, and it works their fine motor skills all at the same time! Kids can write facts about themselves or use it to document their first day of school experience.

Ready for a fun-filled learning activity? These school I spy printables are full of vibrant illustrations of items you’d find in a classroom, like books, pencils, and backpacks.

4 image collage of printable back to school activities

The goal? To spot and count all these hidden items. It’s like a mini treasure hunt on paper! Besides being fun, it also gives the little ones a creative way to brush up on their observation and counting skills.

Immerse your child in a fun and interactive learning experience with this back to school cut and paste book! It’s a free printable activity to turn their first day of school into an exciting journey through vocabulary and creativity!

hand holding back to school gnome craft

This back to school printable alphabet set is perfect for the new school year. It’s not just your average alphabet learning – it also helps kids improve their handwriting and understand the difference between lowercase and uppercase letters.

Share With Us

Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

hand holding back to school gnome craft with another one in the background

Back To School Gnome Craft For Kids

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Get ready for the new school year with this adorable back to school gnome craft for kids!

Materials

  • Colored cardstock or construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Gnome template

Instructions

  1. Download the gnome template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.
  2. Begin by gluing the lead to the tip of the gnome's hat.
  3. Take the pencil piece and glue it about .5" from the bottom of the lead piece, on the gnome's hat.
  4. Finish up the gnome's hat by gluing the eraser piece to the bottom of the gnome's hat.
  5. Make the gnome's face by gluing the beard to the bottom of the face.
  6. Next, take the eyes and glue them in the middle of the face.
  7. Position the nose so half is on the face and half is on the beard and glue it in place.
  8. Glue the hat to the top of the gnome's head, so it's slightly overlapping the top of the eyes.
  9. Place the gnome's head on the top of the body and glue it in place.
  10. Arrange the gnome's shoes at the bottom of the body and glue them down.
  11. Glue the apple in the middle of the body, then glue the stem to the top of the apple.
  12. Finish up by gluing the hands, one on each side, to the apple.

Did you make this craft?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

School Gnome Craft Template

Freebie download image

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BETH

Thursday 29th of August 2024

WHAT A FUN ACTIVITY!

Sam

Thursday 29th of August 2024

So glad you're excited about it! Have a blast!

Heather

Tuesday 20th of August 2024

I love doing gnome crafts with my kids

Sam

Wednesday 21st of August 2024

Oh, good! We just had our gnome handprint craft published as well ◡̈

Michelle

Thursday 15th of August 2024

These will be great for a craft to go with my gnome theme.

Sam

Thursday 15th of August 2024

Perfect! We have another gnome craft coming out soon too ◡̈

Virginia

Friday 19th of July 2024

I will love to make this craft with my kids.

Sam

Monday 22nd of July 2024

Great! Since you’re a subscriber, you just need to click the “Click Here To Get Your Freebie” image at the end of the post and then enter your email in the form. After that, it’ll automatically redirect you to the download page ◡̈

Connie

Tuesday 16th of July 2024

I love Gnome's, this will be great for my back to school cards. Thanks

Sam

Tuesday 16th of July 2024

Oh, perfect! You're welcome.

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