DIY Back to School Bus Craft

DIY School Bus Craft for Kids: Back to School Activity

Get ready for school with this fun craft! Kids will make a school bus that drives to a schoolhouse on a paper plate. It's a great way to use imagination and get excited for learning!

10-30 minutes Ages 3-7 2 steps may need help

About This Project

A 10–30 minutes craft for ages 3–7, using supplies you likely already have — Hole Punches, Tape, and Pom Poms.

GlueStick supports kids from setup to cleanup. After they choose a project, we guide them through gathering the supplies, making it, and cleaning up when they're done. We'll even help them share it safely with trusted family and friends.

Ad-free and kid-safe library — designed by a mom who wants kids to explore and create independently.

This project is perfect for:
Project Tags
back to school indoor fine motor skills imagination painting cutting gluing school bus vehicle fall 100th day of school
  1. 1

    Find Supplies

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    Create a free GlueStick account to track supplies and see if you have what you need at a glance. Leave your kids tips about where supplies are stored in your household so they can set up and clean up their creative spaces independently.
    00:00
    A cartoon of Hole Punches
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Tape
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Pom Poms
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Scissors
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Disposable Plates
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Craft Sticks
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Clothespins
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Paint
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Markers
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Newspapers
    You have: unknown
    A cartoon of Glue Sticks
    You have: unknown
  2. 2

    Make DIY Back to School Bus Craft

    Your creative buddy says:
    "Let's stick together and make this one!"

    Step 1: Make and color the bus and schoolhouse. Paint a popsicle stick.

    May need grown-up help
    Draw a small school bus and a schoolhouse, or print them from the special paper. Color them in with your markers. If you are little, ask an adult to help you cut them out. Put some newspaper down to keep your table clean. Place a large popsicle stick on the newspaper. Pinch a pompom with a clothespin to make a paintbrush. Dip the pompom in black paint and paint one side of the popsicle stick. Let these pieces dry.

    Step 2: Draw and cut a road on the paper plate.

    SHARP! Grown-up required
    Draw a curvy line across the bottom of your paper plate. This will be the road for your school bus. Ask an adult to help you use a hole punch to make a small hole at one end of the line. This is where your scissors will start. Carefully cut along the line you drew. If you are just learning to use scissors, ask an adult to draw a straight, bold line for you to cut. If you cut past the end, it's okay! An adult can help you fix it with tape.

    Step 3: Color the road and draw a scene. Glue the schoolhouse.

    Color in the road you just cut. On the back of the paper plate (the side that is not shiny), draw a fun scene that your school bus will drive past. You can draw a country scene with trees and fields, or a city scene with tall buildings. Use your imagination! When your scene is ready, use a glue stick to glue the schoolhouse (that you colored in Step 1) at the end of the road, on the left side of the plate.

    Step 4: Attach the bus to the stick and make it drive.

    Use tape to attach the school bus (that you colored and cut out in Step 1) to the top of the painted popsicle stick. Carefully slide the popsicle stick into the cut you made in your paper plate. Now you can make your bus drive up the road to school!
  3. 3

    Clean up

    Put things away so your space is tidy for next time.

    Tidy up our space

    Put away our supplies

    Check off each supply when it is put away — and any clean-up tips underneath are done too. You might find a fun surprise!

    • A cartoon of Tape
      Where they belong:
    • A cartoon of Pom Poms
      Where they belong:
    • A cartoon of Disposable Plates
      Where they belong:
      • — Don't forget! Disposable plates may be compostable or recyclable! Do your part to keep trash out of the landfill.
    • A cartoon of Craft Sticks
      Where they belong:
    • A cartoon of Clothespins
      Where they belong:
    • A cartoon of Paint
      Where they belong:
      • — Don't forget! Close all paint lids tightly.
    • A cartoon of Markers
      Where they belong:
      • — Don't forget! Close all marker caps tightly.
    • A cartoon of Newspapers
      Where they belong:
    • A cartoon of Glue Sticks
      Where they belong:
      • — Don't forget! Put cap on glue sticks tightly.
    • A cartoon of Hole Punches
      Where they belong:
    • A cartoon of Scissors
      Where they belong:

    Update what we have left

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  4. 4

    Save

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    "Way to stick with it!"

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In the Bag Kids Crafts

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