When your child gears up for another crazy chapter of their schooling life with an entirely too much focus on their academic achievements, it’s time for back to school coloring pages! It’s important that when they’re working through their latest set of challenges (like why do they have to learn math again?), you offer them some kind of reprieve.
And what better way than back to school coloring pages? After all, nothing melts the heart of parents more than seeing our children coloring in a big ol’ yellow bus or piles of pencils. Not only does this provide hours of entertainment (and distractions from finding last years lunchboxes), but it’s a great way to remember all the fun stuff associated with going back to school – backpacks, chalkboards, notebooks, apples for the teacher, etc. You name it!
Free Printable Back to School Coloring Pages
We’ve included free printable back to school coloring pages in PDF format below which you can download and print right away. They print nicely on standard paper sizes, including US Letter and A4 formats with no funny business going on.
There are also lots of fun back-to-school images featured here that include buses, backpacks, pencils, lockers, books, and even lunchboxes! We’ve included some very easy printable sheets for little hands and more advanced patterns too. These would be great to use during mornings, when your students have finished their work, or just to give them a few moments to chill out before doing any serious homework stuff!
Creative Back to School Crafts and Coloring Ideas
You may think that your child’s back-to-school coloring pages only serve one purpose — to fill their time with crayons and markers.
But these colorful pages can be turned into all sorts of crafts (and decorations) that you can enjoy together this fall! There are also some that make great kid-friendly keepsakes they’ll love looking back on down the road. Plus, some of them become larger craft projects that work great as weekend plans, too!
Let’s dive right in to these fun ideas.
- Locker Décor: Cut and laminate pages to hang inside lockers. Instant color in an otherwise gray space.
- Schedule Covers: Slip a finished page over a weekly schedule or chore chart for a personalized look.
- Pencil Toppers: Roll up small colored cutouts and tape them to the top of pencils for fun classroom flair.
- Homework Box: Wrap a shoebox with a finished page and turn it into a homework-in, homework-out station.
- Lunch Notes: Cut out little figures, write short notes on the back, and slip them into lunchboxes as surprises.
- Ruler Sleeves: Laminate a narrow strip of a page, fold it, and slide it over the edge of a ruler.
- Classroom Door Sign: Put together a few colored sheets and create a bright welcome sign for the teacher’s door.
- Desk Mats: Place a laminated page under clear contact paper for a colorful, wipeable mat.
- Calendar Inserts: Use finished sheets as monthly dividers or backdrops for school calendars.
- Reading Corner Art: Frame a few colored pages and hang them above a cozy reading nook.
- Grade Level Collage: Have kids in the same class add their sheets together for one big “We’re in 3rd Grade!” wall collage.
- Homework Passes: Use small sections of a page as creative “homework pass” tickets for teachers to hand out.
- Classroom Currency: Turn colored cutouts into pretend money for classroom games or rewards.
- Hall Passes: Laminate larger pieces and write “Bathroom” or “Library” on them for practical school use.
- Binder Edge Strips: Cut and tape colored strips along binder edges for quick subject identification.
- Clip Magnets: Glue finished sheets onto clothespins with magnets on the back to hold school papers.
- Table Place Cards: Use smaller colored pieces as name cards for group projects or parties.
- Class Puzzle Poster: Cut one large page into puzzle shapes, have each child color a piece, then reassemble on the wall.
- Report Cover Pages: Slip a finished sheet into the front of a report binder for a more cheerful look.
- Year-End Swap: Save colored sheets and trade them among classmates at the end of the school year.
