crafts | FriDIY

How to Make First Day of School Photo Props

Tutorial for making first day of school signs

The start of the school year is so exciting for everyone! Teachers are ready to shape young minds and kids are eager to see old friends and make new ones. You’ll definitely want to capture this excitement with first day of school photos.

What better way to remember their first day than with a cute, hand-crafted photo prop?

How to Make a Back to School Clock

Back to school clock supplies

What you will need:
12″ Wooden circle with hole in the middle (we purchased a 1″ thick wooden clock base from a local craft store)
Wooden ruler
Screw and nut
Acrylic paint (we used a pale yellow)
Paint brush
Vinyl numbers and letters (we used a Cricut machine to make ours, but you could also use stencils and paint)
Saw
Sandpaper

1. Paint your wooden base.
2. While it is drying, prepare your numbers and letters. We made our numbers 1″ tall and the letters 1 1/2″ tall.
3. When the base is dry, measure and apply your numbers and letters.
4. Use your saw to cut the ruler to the desired length. We cut the ruler to 5″ so there was plenty of room for it to rotate around the clock base without covering up the numbers.
5. Sand the edges of your ruler.
6. Secure the ruler to the front of the wooden base with the screw and nut.

Tick tock, it's time for the first day of school!

You can swivel the ruler around for each year that your child is in school. If you used vinyl letters, you could also re-position them so they can be read each year.

How to Make a Back to School Chalkboard Sign

Kindergarten sign supplies

What you will need:
Plywood (we used a 12 x 24 piece)
Acrylic paint
Paint brush
Vinyl letters
Wooden apple, owl and letters (optional)

1. Paint the plywood.
2. While it is drying, prepare your letters. We used 3″ letters for the top row and 5″ letters for the bottom row.
3. When the paint is dry, measure and apply your letters.
4. Accessorize the sign with wooden letters, apples or owls if you would like.

Great photo prop for first day of school picturesLearn how to make this First Day of School sign

Do you have preschoolers who like to play school at home? Check out our selection of art easels and desks to make their at home “classroom” complete.

Safety first! These crafts are intended to be made by adults. Please use caution when handling a saw.

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