Popsicle Stick Schoolhouse Picture Frame Craft
This summer continues to fly by! Now that August is just a few days away, we are slowly but surely gearing up for back-to-school! As you may have read in my previous post, my 4.5 year old is starting Pre-K this year, so I am doing everything I can to savor his last year of preschool. Now that our summer activity schedule has slowed down a bit, we’ve been able to spend more time crafting at home. For this week’s craft, I wanted to create a spin on the basic popsicle stick picture frame and do something special for back-to-school. So, I came up with this popsicle stick schoolhouse picture frame craft – perfect for your little ones’ 1st day of preschool (or kindergarten) photo!
If you’re looking for a way to beat summer boredom, do this craft now and then it’ll be ready to go when the 1st day of school rolls around! Here is everything you need to create your own schoolhouse picture frame:
Supplies Needed
(11) Jumbo Popsicle Sticks
Paint Brush + Paint (Red & White)
Scissors
Sharpie Marker
Glue Gun or Craft Glue
Foam Stickers/Embellishments (optional)
1st Day of School Photo
How-To
First, start by having your child paint their popsicle sticks. You will need 8 red sticks and 3 white sticks. Set them aside to fully dry.
Second, lay out your popsicle sticks to create your schoolhouse shape (as pictured below). After you have your schoolhouse laid out the way you would like it, begin gluing your sticks together. For the inside roof of the schoolhouse, I simply cut down 3 of my red popsicle sticks in order to fit between the white triangular roof line. I used sharp scissors to cut the sticks and then glued them on the backside of the house. I recommend using a strong craft glue (like Aleene’s Tacky Glue) or a hot glue gun instead of Elmer’s School Glue. Since this is a keepsake item you’ll want to opt for stronger glue in order for the frame to hold up.
Now it’s time to get creative with your schoolhouse! Go ahead and add some fun school-themed foam stickers and/or embellishments. Luckily, I always have stickers on hand so I found some alphabet and number stickers that worked perfectly for our school theme. I found the cute little bus in a pack of vehicle stickers I had in my craft stash. And I ended up making the little clock at the top of the schoolhouse out of cardstock. I traced the bottom of one of our Crayola paint bottles to make the circle and then drew the hands on the clock with a Sharpie marker. Get your preschooler involved and have them place the stickers on their schoolhouse. Don’t forget to write the year and/or school year they’ll be entering, too!
Lastly, attach your child’s photo! You now have a cute little keepsake of your child’s 1st day of school! This was Noah’s 1st day of school from last year, so once we take this year’s photo I’ll swap it out with the new one for 2017.
Who else is ready for the school year to start? Have you started preparing for back-to-school yet?
xo,
Sumer
50 Comments
Kristin
This craft is darling, but I’m not ready for school to start yet! (Emotionally or physically.) ?
Sumer
Haha! I know what you mean! It’s coming SO fast!
Jackie
I love this so much ! My girls would really enjoy this craft too. Thank you so much for sharing !
Sumer
Thanks so much, Jackie!
Lynn Woods
This is so cute! Ive been looking for crafts to make with my nephews when they come to visit next month.
Sumer
That’s awesome, Lynn! What a fun aunt you are! 🙂
Cas@getyourholidayon.com
What a creative way to get the kids into a project for back to school. I love this idea!!!
Sumer
Thank you! 🙂
Andrea
What a cute project – it looks easy enough too!
Sumer
Super easy to make!
Rondra
What a super cute craft! I’d better get started on this right away! My daughter’s first day of Kindergarten is in a few week!
Sumer
Aww! So very exciting! Wishing her a great year ahead!
Allison
So cute! This would be a fun tradition for the kids to do every year. You’d have the frame and get to see how their schoolhouses changed each year! Thanks!
Sumer
Totally agree! I’m such a sucker for keepsake crafts that turn into traditions!
Belle
This is absolutely the cutest craft ever! I’m so doing this when my daughter starts preschool later this year!
Belle | One Awesome Momma
Sumer
Thanks so much, Belle!!
Lisa
This frame turned out so cute. Easy but really a lovely project!
Corey | The Nostalgia Diaries
This is so sweet! I remember making frames like this back when I was in grade school!
Sumer
I always loved popsicle stick crafts as a kid, too!
Angela at The Fancy Ranch Life
This is darling! I am going to share with my daughter’s preschool teacher.
Sumer
Yay! Thanks so much, Angela!
Justine @ Little Dove
What a cute idea! My kids would have such a blast making this!
Sumer
Thanks, Justine! I hope you’ll make it with them! 🙂
Lindsay Fischer
This is so cute and will be so nostalgic in a few years. Love this idea!
Sumer
I’m all about the sweet sentimental crafts!
Vicki @ Babies to Bookworms
That is so adorable! I will have to make one when my daughter goes to school!
Sumer
Thanks, Vicki!
Jill
HOW CUTE! I’m so going to do this with my girls.
Sumer
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
Shari
What a cute idea for the new school year!
Sumer
Thanks, Shari!
Brittany Ferrell
I made sure to pin this because I definitely want to make it! This year will be my daughter’s first year of preschool and I was thinking not only would this be so cute to make for myself (and the grandparents), but what a sweet gift to give to her preschool teacher! I could take a picture of the entire class and then give it to her at pick up on the first day. All these ideas! This is seriously the cutest.
Sumer
Aww! I LOVE that!! Thanks so much, Brittany!
Rachel
Oh my gosh this is adorable! My little is only one but I will definitely be saving this away for when he does go to preschool in a few years!
Sumer
Thanks, Rachel! 🙂
Keri
I love this! It’s so cute and practical!
Sumer
Thanks so much, Keri!
Carissa
I’m not ready for school to start just yet, but this activity sounds like a fun one! I think my kids would enjoy it!
Clair
What a cute idea! I will have to do this before school starts for our first day of school picture ❤️
JeeYoung
Such a cute project! Saving this for a rainy day with my almost five year old!
Tina
I love this! Simple and easy to do plus it’s ADORABLE! This is a craft that will live on for YEARS!
Sumer
Thank you! I love keepsake crafts for this exact reason 🙂
Cheyenne
This is precious! We’ll love making these!
Samantha Kuzyk-Raising Twincesses
Such an adorable craft!!! My aunt is my girls’ preschool teacher and I’m definitely going to show her this so she can do it with the class this fall!!!
Sumer
Yay!!! I LOVE that! Makes me so happy to know that others are trying my crafts in their classrooms!
Tamara Goyette
I saw your pinterest post on this and saved it. Love this craft idea.
Sumer
Oh awesome! Thank you!
Rachel Catherine
This is such a cute idea! I love it and I totally want to do it with my daughter this year.
Sumer
Thanks, Rachel! I hope she enjoys it!
Cas@getyourholidayon.com
This looks like such a fun craft for going back to school. I love this idea! What a fun thing to do with the kids. 🙂