Can you believe autumn is right around the corner and it’s already back-to-school time?! School started here last week, and we celebrated by making this fun fold-up paper school bus craft that kids can fill with drawings of classmates or school photos of friends!
With just a little cutting, pasting, and coloring you can make your very own school bus, then fold it up into a cute little book for safe-keeping! This is a perfect after-school activity for kiddos but also works great as a classroom activity (this one’s for you teachers).
The free printable contains full-color and black & white versions of the bus, along with some face templates for adding friends. As a bonus, you can also print extra faces to make into colorable stickers, mini notecards, or even a memory game! This project was originally created for our friends at hello, Wonderful, and although you can no longer download the free printable there, we’ve made it available for download here on our site!
For another fall project that makes a perfect grade-school classroom craft, stop by the easy tutorial for our DIY paper bag acorn portraits!
To make your own paper school bus photo book you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains either our own printable products, or Woodpeckers Crafts, Etsy, Blick Art Materials, and/or Amazon affiliate links for reference. As Amazon Associates, we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- 2-4 sheets of 8.5 x 11 white cardstock
- Scissors
- A glue stick
FOR THE PHOTOS SUPPLIES:
- Our free printable school bus templates
- Wallet-sized school photos
- Coloring supplies or other craft supplies for decoration (stickers, foil stars, etc.)
How to Make a Paper School Bus Photo Book – DIY Instructions:
Print our paper school bus template pages.
Print the desired free printable paper school bus craft template pages on heavy cardstock.
Cut out the paper school bus template pieces.
If using the full-color school bus pages, cut them out now. If using the black and white page to be colored in, they can be cut out now or – for younger artists – let them color/decorate first, then cut out (seems to work a bit better for small hands).
Glue the paper bus template pieces together.
Attach the pieces of the bus by using a small amount of glue on the tabs and joining them together.
Add drawn classmate faces or wallet photos to your school bus.
You can use the face templates to draw your own or trim wallet-sized school photos to window-size and glue them on.
Fold for a handmade school photobook.
Fold each piece in half accordion style to make a book of school friends, or stand your finished bus on a table or desk!
The custom-made school bus was designed for flexibility, so you can make it as long or as short as you need it to be depending on the size of your classroom or how many friends your kiddo would like to include.
Beyond adding friends, you can also use this bus for creative storytelling. Fill in the windows with the wildest riders you can imagine! Maybe this back-to-school bus is filled with animals from the zoo, or a band of merry monsters headed to Haunted Hill High.
More Back-to-School Kids Crafts
Looking for new ways to celebrate autumn and back-to-school? Our free printable leaf activity kit is the perfect learning and play tool for the season. These gorgeous fall leaf collages use an easy and unique art process you’re going to love! Or grab a set of free printable art badges for art Olympics (great for classrooms or chilly fall weekends!)
More Car and Truck Crafts for Kids
For more buildable transportation-themed fun, visit our cardboard food truck art project, print a set of our custom-designed paper car and truck templates, or make your own miniature DIY toy cars from scrap wood!
Be sure to let us know how you’ve filled your paper school buses by tagging us with #barleyandbirch in your shares or leaving your idea in the comments below!
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Blick Art Materials, Amazon, Etsy, or Woodpeckers Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click through to make a purchase we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
