Getting ready for the new school year can be pretty hectic — but it can also be a lot of fun! Back to school crafts give you and your young ones a way to celebrate the school year and even highlight their favorite subjects with fun decorations. For younger kids, there are even great craft cutouts to help them learn everything from basic math and geometry to the complexities of the solar system!
But if you’ve never dabbled in back to school crafts for preschoolers, kindergarteners, or elementary-school-aged children before, then there are probably still a few question marks that need to be addressed. For instance, what are the benefits of stencil crafts? How can you make back to school crafts educational? What are some great back to school craft ideas to try out this year? Finally, where can you find high-quality back to school wood cutouts for crafting?
In today’s guide, we will answer all of these questions and more, so let’s get started!
Back to school crafts for kids
Crafting is a great way to bring parents and their young children together. Whether it’s the holiday season or just a random Tuesday afternoon, there’s no wrong time to break out the crafting materials and get creative! That said, the days and weeks leading up to a new school year (or semester) are a perfect time to work with your kids on some school-themed crafts.
If your kids aren’t super excited about going back to school — we get it. Fortunately, back to school crafts for younger kids can be educational, fun, and oriented toward specific subjects without drawing too much attention to the fact that school is right around the corner. Alternatively, if your young one is excited to get back into the classroom, there are also plenty of options that scream, “School’s back in session!”
Either way, back to school crafts are very versatile, as they often give your child the opportunity to work together with you, or alone on their own project. This allows you to guide your child as needed or take a more hands-off approach and let them explore their own creativity. Below, we’re going to take a closer look at some of our most popular back to school craft ideas and even give you some tips on how to decorate them, display them, and use them to help your child learn!
Back to school craft ideas
Since returning to school can be a touchy subject with some kids, we know that coming up with fun craft ideas around this time of year can be a little nerve-wracking. You want to get your child excited to learn — not grumpy about heading to the classroom. This is why we think the decorating process is such an important part of back to school crafting. While it’s true that certain wood cutouts can serve as materials to enhance other projects (like letter stencils for painting), there are also plenty of cutouts specifically designed for kids and parents to decorate and showcase.
First day of school
The first day of school is a big moment for children and parents alike. It’s a major milestone for the family, and it will be a memory that you’ll want to cherish forever. This is why we recommend a wooden first day of school sign. This wooden cutout already has the words “First Day Of” etched into the wood, as well as banner outlines where you or your child can fill in the blanks. You could paint “Sarah Smith’s First Day Of School” and include the date, while also decorating the sign with your child’s favorite colors and materials. Then, you can hang it in your home and always be reminded of the day your little one began their academic journey.
Numbers
For preschoolers or children in kindergarten, wooden number stencils can help you combine the fundamentals of a good education with arts and crafts. Number stencils can serve a dual purpose; you and your child can decorate them with paint, glitter, and other fund materials, but your child can also use them to learn how to draw numbers and count. It’s a win-win!
Letters
Like numbers, the letters of the alphabet are an essential part of early education. Once your child knows how to pronounce, recite, and recognize their ABCs, they will quickly be able to move on to reading and writing. It’s like watching their brains grow in real time! With a wooden alphabet stencil, your child can create an educational decoration for their room or use the stencil to practice writing out letters. You can even work together to help them spell their name and use that skill on even more fun projects!
Geometric shapes
Learning shapes is yet another vital aspect of early development and education. By learning what shapes look like and how they relate to one another, children can develop important knowledge related to math, science, and even reading and writing. Geometric shapes also have a more foundational connection to the way that children learn and interpret the world around them. With a basic understanding of shapes, children can learn to recognize visual patterns, develop spatial reasoning, and understand how to sort and classify different objects.
For this reason, we recommend more than one option to help your little one practice drawing, painting, and recognizing different shapes. A set of wooden geometric stencil flashcards will allow your kids to practice drawing different shapes and learning their names at the same time. Alternatively, a more complex set of wooden geometric stencils can help children learn about variations of classic shapes and how they relate to one another. For example, children can learn the differences between circles and ellipses, squares and rectangles, equilateral and right triangles, as well as more multifaceted shapes like stars.
People and faces
Socializing and learning about other people is a huge part of a child’s early education. From making new friends to understanding how to share, children learn through instruction (as well as trial and error) how their actions affect others, and how they should interact with others to produce positive relationships.
While you might not think that wooden crafts could help with a child’s interpersonal skills, they’re actually an excellent way to introduce young minds to important life lessons. For instance, a wooden diversity border is a great decoration that helps cement concepts like friendship, overcoming differences, and even friendly and safe physical contact. This wooden craft features a row of people holding hands, and each of these characters can be decorated to represent people of different genders, races, and cultural backgrounds. The possibilities are endless!
Another great tool for teaching young children about themselves and other people is a set of wooden feeling faces for girls or boys. These can be decorated for fun, but they also serve as a very useful tool for children’s emotional development. They’re especially helpful for children who may struggle to recognize different types of facial expressions and the emotions they represent.
Solar system
Does your child love star-gazing or have an affinity for science? If so, wooden solar system cutouts are a great option. And if you and your child are up to the challenge, we highly recommend a wooden solar system cutout set with greater detail of each planet. These are perfect for painting projects, and they make for great decorations in your child’s bedroom. They can easily be hung on walls or ceilings. If you combine them with tiny stars and add some glow-in-the-dark paint, you can even transform your child’s bedroom ceiling into a beautiful night sky!
Did you enjoy our back to school crafts guide? Be sure to check out our back to school craft shop to find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one!
