• Many preschoolers are attached to their book bags and love to decorate them.holding backpack image by Lisa Eastman from Fotolia.com
  
  Most preschool kids have their own book bags, and many are extremely proud of them. Help your preschoolers create an interesting book bag craft that kids can take home with them. Alternatively, help them create decorations that they can use on their book bags, with some very simple craft items.
  
  

Simple Book Bag Craft

• This simple book bag craft will give students great practice in following directions. Show them how to hold a piece of construction paper horizontally and fold the two sides in toward the center. Then demonstrate how to tape the two folded edges together, as well as the bottom of the resulting "pocket." Show the children how to cut two strips from a second piece of paper to make two shoulder straps, and how to glue them appropriately. To make the book bag look more authentic, like it has a flap that opens and closes, cut a piece of construction paper so that it fits the width of the book bag and fold it over the top. Tape down one side, and let the other side hang loose so that kids can open it to put items inside.
  
  

Paper Bag Book Bag

• Preschoolers can make this faux book bag out of a basic paper lunch bag. Show them how to open up the paper bag so that it stands on its own, and then fold over the top few inches to create a flap that opens and closes like some book bags do. Then give each student two strips of paper--2 inches wide and slightly taller than the folded paper bag--and show them how to glue the tops and bottoms to the back of the book bag to create shoulder straps. Give students a rectangular piece of paper and show them how to apply glue to only three sides of it to make a pocket, and glue it to the opposite end of the paper bag. Students can then use this "book bag" to carry home notes to parents, permission slips and other items that need to make it from school to their parents.
  
  

Book Bag Beads

• Do your kids want some decorations for their book bags? You'll have to do the first step of this craft, but the kids will love doing the rest. Put a safety pin through the material on the back of their book bags. Then fold a long piece of string in half and thread it through the safety pin. Stick the ends of the string through the looped half and pull to secure the string to the book bag. Provide students with plenty of beads of various sizes to thread on the string. Encourage kids to use patterns and favorite colors. When they finish, tie a knot at the end of the string to keep the beads in place. (You may need to double- or triple-knot the string, depending on the size of the holes in the beads.)