Back to School Kids Crafts

Whether you and the kids are racing to finish your summer reading or getting ready to crack open the school books, everyone could use an extra bookmark or two — especially when they are as cute as these! Inspired by a picture I saw in Family Fun magazine (and this post by Come Together Kids), we decided to make a set of “Familiar Faces” bookmarks. These are great to help my two-year old learn the names of far-away family and friends and it might help your little one feel comforted during their first few days at school.

Cutout images of a child in various playful poses are arranged on a wooden surface, wearing a pink top and blue skirt. Perfect for back-to-school bookmarks, these lively depictions capture the essence of familiar faces in every stance. A cutout of the child turned away is seen on the left.

Table of Contents

Calling All Familiar Faces!

I sent an email around to family and friends asking for full body pictures to use for our bookmarks. They could either do the rope-climbing trick found at Come Together Kids, pretend they are getting squished by the closing book, or something fun like that. One of our cousins pretended she was hanging onto the pages of the book, so that was cute.

Smile!

We had the girls standing in front of a white wall to take pictures. This way, I could cut in more of a blob around their bodies and not have to worry about a distracting background. We had the pictures developed at our local Walgreens and they were ready to pick up in about 20 minutes (you can do this directly through the Walgreens Photo site or through your Shutterfly account). In the meantime, we went to the Winnie the Pooh movie at the Cinemark Movie Clubhouse (a good time for all!)

Two young girls stand indoors against a beige wall, embodying the excitement of Back to School season. The girl on the left in a pink top and denim skirt rests one hand on her face, while the girl on the right, smiling in her purple shirt and denim shorts, holds a small object like Familiar Faces Bookmarks.

Making Bookmarks

Once we got the pictures back, I cut around each body. I decided not to the tassle thing (keeping it simple!) — so I didn’t need to worry about staying nice and tight to the picture. We didn’t have any cardstock on hand, so to make the pictures sturdier, I just glued them to a cereal box and then cut around them again.

Two cutouts of children, a girl and a child with short hair, are playfully posing on a cereal ad featuring granola bars and a coupon. These familiar faces bring a back-to-school vibe, reminiscent of bookmarks tucked into well-loved storybooks.

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Once they were cut a second time, I applied some contact paper and Viola! We had ourselves some familiar faces bookmarks!

How About You?

What are you doing to get ready for school?

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About the Author

Lindsey Whitney is a mom of two, home day care provider, and blogger over at Growing Kids Ministry. Growing Kids Ministry is a blog designed to help parents, teachers, and Children’s Ministry workers who want to help the kids they love grow in their faith. You can connect with her via twitter or on facebook!