Easy Back to School Crafts & After School Tablescape for Kids

Back-to-School pencil themed flower or plant gift tag and bookmarks for kids

These pencil-themed bookmarks and gift tags are easy back-to-school crafts for kids.

It’s almost that time again!

As summer break rapidly comes to a close, why not plan a simple back-to-school family party that honors your children as students?

It’ll make them feel special and help them look forward to the first day of school.

This student-focused August tablescape features a yellow, red, black, and white color scheme with simple potted yellow marigolds decorated with pencil-themed Happy First Day DIY gift tags.

These bright and easy DIY gift tags are perfect for a teacher’s gift for the first day of school, too.  The same pencil design can be used for a fun bookmark craft project for kids (8+ years) for their upcoming school year.

Make the gift tags and bookmarks with some neon-colored office labels that you pick up during one of your school supplies shopping trips!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

neon-labels

To make a pencil gift tag, you’ll need:

For a bookmark, you’ll need the above supplies plus:
  • Hole punch
  • Two 9″ strips of curling ribbon or yarn to match

To make the pencil sticker:

1.  With a black marker, draw a black edge around the entire yellow sticker, then add three or four lines on one of the short ends of the sticker to represent the ferrule* just below the pencil’s eraser.  Optionally add a greeting to the tag, or add a smiley face.

Quick Vocabulary Lesson:
The metal band that attaches the eraser to the pencil body is called a “ferrule“.
(Pronounced like “feral”, as in the cats who have no home, but spelled differently.)

2.  Cut 3/4″ of the short end of a pink sticker for the eraser piece.  Draw around the top and two sides.

3.  Cut 3/4″ of the short end of an orange sticker for the pencil point piece.  Measure and mark the midpoint of the short side, and 1/2″ along the edges from the short edge.  Draw the lines angled from the long side to the midpoint of the short side to create a point.  Color in a semi-circle at the point to represent the pencil lead.   Use scissors to trim off the edges to create a point.

Assemble the pencil pieces:
1.  Peel back about 1″ from the “ferrule” edge of the yellow sticker and carefully attach the pink eraser piece to the underside of the yellow sticker.
2.  Peel back about 1″ from the opposite edge of the yellow sticker and carefully attach the orange point piece to the underside of the yellow sticker.

To make a gift tag:

Add the assembled pencil sticker centered onto the heavy  4 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ yellow paper.  Affix the tag to a pencil or other stick to insert into a potted plant or faux flower arrangement.  Tie a bow with some ribbon above the tag on the stick.

To make a bookmark:

1.  With a hole punch, make one hole approximately 1/4″ from the outside short edge of the heavy  4 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ yellow paper.

2.  Cut two pieces of curling ribbon or yarn.  Holding both pieces of ribbon together, fold in half lengthwise and feed the folded part of the ribbons partway through the hole.  Insert the cut ends of the ribbons through the loop made by the fold and pull through to secure the ribbons at one edge of the bookmark.

3.  Add the assembled pencil sticker (from instructions above) centered on the bookmark.

As Seen on CraftGossip.com!
Have fun making these tags and bookmarks as a gift or gather your kids together for a fun afternoon project.   And, they’ll add a new word to their vocabulary at the same time.

Plan a little celebration or recognition of the start of the school year to make your children feel special and help boost their confidence with returning to school.  Here’s your chance to let them know how proud you are of their progress and enjoy the opportunity to talk with them about their goals for this upcoming year.

Enjoy your Happy First Day of School party with your children this month, and your celebratory pumpkin latte with your adult friends once school is finally in session!

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

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