Easy First Day of School Signs

Y’all, this tiny baby is going to kindergarten. He was literally born yesterday, so I’m not sure how that is possible. In honor of the big day, I made these cute first day of school signs with my Cricut Maker to snap a few adorable pictures of my 5 year old. This is a quick, fun project and I love that it includes the date and grade level in a unique photo I can stare at forever!

Materials to make first day of school signs

• 2 Thick books
• 2 Brown paper bags
• Scissors
• Black vinyl
• Transfer tape
• Cricut Maker
• Apple is optional

How to make first day of school signs

If you’re anything like me you covered all of your highschool text books with brown paper bags AND marker. Just in case this wasn’t you, here’s a quick tutorial.

Step 1- Cut open brown bag

First, cut open a large brown paper grocery bag. Place the book in the center of the bag and draw a rectangle around the book with an extra 2 inches on all sides. Use scissors to cut the rectangle out. Place the closed book, binding side down,  in the center of the rectangle and mark the width of the book binding. Cut 2 slits for the top of the binding and 2 slits for the bottom of the binding and fold each tab down. (I cut the slits out in the picture below, but I think it’s better to simply fold it down.)

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Step 2- Fold brown bag over book

Once the binding slits are folded down, it’s time to wrap the book in the brown paper bag. Place the book to the side, and fold the top of the rectangle down to meet the binding flap. Do this to the top and bottom of the rectangle on both sides of the binding. Next, place the book back in the rectangle, and figure out where to make the last 2 folds. Don’t worry if this takes a few tries. Once you figure out the best placement for the fold, slip both sides of the book into the pockets. Voila! DIY covered book!

Step 3- Make labels

Open up Cricut Design Space™ and type “Kindergarten”. My current favorite font for simple, clean labels is “Din 1451 Com EngSchrift”. I paid the $5 and have been using it ever since! Make sure the labels you create are sized correctly for the bindings of the books you just covered.

Step 4- Cut and transfer

Cut out the labels with the Cricut Maker, weed the design, and use transfer tape to ensure the label adheres to the book in perfect alignment! 

Step 5- Take cute pictures

I love the books as an alternative to the typical printable or chalkboard for a first day of school photo.

Do you have an incoming kindergartner? How do you feel about that? Do you make first day of school signs? I’d love to hear…

If you’re looking for more back to school ideas, don’t miss:

• First day of school flags
• 22 Back to school crafts