Back to school season is a great time to kick off a new routine with a fun and engaging project for kids like this backpack paper craft. Kids will make a backpack and school supplies out of colorful paper and our free printable template.

Use this paper backpack DIY to channel kids’ excitement for the new school year. Explore even more of our back to school crafts that are great for classroom centers, quiet time at home, or themed learning activities.

Collage showing two finished paper backpack crafts in pink and blue, with hands holding the blue one, a fun back to school project.

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Printable Backpack Craft

Your little learners will get excited about the upcoming school year with this cute paper backpack filled with all kinds of pretend supplies. This activity will get kids using their imaginations as they “pack” up their crayons and rulers in the book bag’s pocket for the perfect prop for pretend play.

While your kiddos craft, they improve their essential early learning skills. Activities like cutting and gluing help strengthen their hand muscles and fine motor control, and following step-by-step instructions supports their cognitive development and focus. Plus the fun kids have playing pretend encourages their social emotional growth, too!

All you need to get kids started bringing their mini backpack to life is some colorful paper, scissors, and glue. Be sure to download and print our free backpack template and read on below for directions on how to put it all together.

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Supplies

Colored cardstock or construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Backpack Paper Craft (click the “click here to get your freebies” image at the end of the post)

Click here to see our favorite kids’ craft supplies.

Directions

Start by downloading and printing the template. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this backpack to life!

Hands hold a printed paper template for a backpack craft with outlines for the main body, straps, handle, and a front pocket with crayons and a ruler.

Grab the pieces for the front pouch. Glue the green pouch band to the top of the blue pouch piece. This will create the pocket for the crayons and ruler.

Hands hold a small blue and green paper pocket, a simple DIY craft piece for a backpack project.

Now for the fun part. Let’s add the school supplies to the pouch. Glue them behind the pouch so they are peeking out over the top of the green band.

Hands glue a yellow paper crayon to a blue paper pouch with a ruler and other crayons, a DIY school supply craft.

Click here to see why I recommend these craft supplies

With the pouch assembled, it’s time to attach it to the main backpack piece. Apply glue to the back of your decorated pouch and center it on the front of the backpack.

Hands position a blue paper pocket onto a paper backpack craft, a fun back to school project for kids.

Take the handle piece and glue the ends to the very top of the backpack, forming a loop.

Hands attach a paper loop to the top of a blue backpack craft, a fun back to school art project.

Now, let’s add the shoulder straps. Glue the shoulder straps to the top corners of the backpack to complete the look.

Hands glue the strap onto a blue paper backpack craft with crayon and ruler details, a fun back to school activity.

Doesn’t this paper backpack craft look adorable? We hope your kids have a blast making it. Be sure to check out some of our other fun school bus crafts while you’re here!

Hands hold a finished blue paper backpack craft with paper crayons and a ruler in the front pocket and a pink backpack in the background.

Easy Back To School Apple Craft

Back To School Books

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!

Side by side view of two finished paper backpack crafts, one pink and one blue, on a white marble surface.

Back To School Kids Crafts

Crayon Name Craft – This big crayon is all about your kiddo. They’ll cut, glue, and piece together a bright crayon featuring their name. This activity will help them practice letter recognition, spelling their name, and fine motor skills as they put it together.

Pencil Paper Bag Puppet – Kids can turn a simple paper bag into a big pencil puppet that’s ready for back to school fun. They’ll enjoy making their puppet, then once it’s finished enjoy playing pretend and telling stories using their imaginations.

Crayon Box Name Craft

Back To School Bus Craft – All aboard for back to school fun! Little ones can create their own paper school bus with our free template and a few simple supplies. They’ll love making a cute keepsake that celebrates the new school year and the excitement of riding to class.

Back To School Backpack Craft – Celebrate the start of a new school year with this bright and cheerful backpack. This fun activity will build excitement for preschool or kindergarten and it’s a hands-on way to help them feel proud and ready for their big new adventure.

Free Back To School Printables

Make the beginning of the school year extra special with these adorable printable first day of school signs. This fun tradition is a sweet way to capture memories, show some school spirit, and celebrate the start of a new year.

Type your child’s name into the editable template, download and print to snap a photo of them proudly holding it. These keepsake pictures will be treasured for years to come and bring smiles every time you look back. The best part is, they’re free and easy to use.

collage image of 4 Free Back To School Printables

Kick off the new school year with these engaging back to school activity sheets that make learning feel like play! They’re packed with colorful school themed illustrations like book bags, lunch boxes, and notebooks.

Kids will match shadows, navigate mazes, find object pairs, and count school objects then fill out a graph of how many of each there are.

These activities will help them refine fine motor skills, problem solving skills, and early math concepts. Print them out to keep little minds active and excited for another year of learning!

Back To School Pattern Worksheets

These back to school mazes turn learning into a fun game! Each page has a fun mini story like finding the backpack, bus, or chalkboard that makes kids eager to reach the finish.

As they go through the twists and turns, they’ll boost focus, problem solving, and pencil control. Just grab a pencil or crayons to see who can make it to the finish line first.

Hands hold a completed pink paper backpack craft with paper crayons and a ruler in the front pocket.

Start the school year with this fun and interactive back to school cut and paste book that helps preschoolers and kindergarteners learn some school themed vocabulary.

Kids will hone fine motor skills and beginning reading abilities when they assemble their book and read the repetitive text. This printable book has 8 pages that makes learning hands-on and engaging.

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!

A completed pink paper backpack craft sits on a table with scissors, glue sticks, and colorful paper scraps.

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Backpack Paper Craft

Author: Sam

Prep Time: 8

Active Time: 15

Total Time: 23

Get your kids ready for the new school year with this fun backpack paper craft!

Materials

▢ Colored cardstock or construction paper
▢ Scissors
▢ Glue
▢ Backpack Paper Craft template

Instructions

Download the template, print it, and cut out the pieces you need.
First, take the front pouch band and glue it to the top of the pouch.
Next, glue the school supplies behind the pouch piece so they are visible above the top band.
Then, position the completed pouch and supplies onto the main backpack cutout and glue it in place.
After that, attach the handle by gluing both ends to the top and back of the backpack to form a loop.
Finally, glue the shoulder straps to the top corners of the backpack forming a large loop that looks like shoulder straps.

Video

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Free Backpack Paper Craft Template

photograph of found of Simple Everyday Mom, Sam

Meet Sam

Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump, and more.

About Sam