Back-to-school DIY backpack tag | free printable

I can’t believe summer is coming to an end and I have to share my son with someone else… no one prepares a new mom for sending her precious first child off to school, knowing he’ll never be fully yours again. I was the one who held him when he cried and cuddled him when he needed it; will his new teacher be as comforting? Will he know how much I miss him while he’s gone and know his new adventure is part of growing up? Why didn’t anyone prepare me for the emotions that come with sending their firstborn into the big world?? I can’t believe he’s leaving for college already! Ohhhhkay, that’s a little dramatic as he’s only starting preschool but I’ll be the one crying on his first day, I’m sure! LOL

Since I’m new to how this all works, I wanted to be sure that my 3-year old will be prepared to find his backpack if it’s ever lost so I whipped up a tag for him to tie onto his little backpack:

Back-to-School FREE downloadable backpack tags

I’ve seen some cute backpack tags made from luggage tags but a lot of them have too much personal information on them (like an address or phone number) and since he’s not taking any major classes with expensive equipment, I just want to ensure his beloved Buzz Lightyear backpack makes it back to his classroom. I put together up a backpack tag that you can easily make yourself with just a few supplies.

DIY-backpack-tag-supplies

Here’s a peek at the tags you can download for free, available in coral or aqua chevron. You choose your letter (blank fronts also available) on one side and select the back of the tag, depending on how your child gets home from school. (I worked in the schools for several years before landing my dream job -SAHM- and the kids who had labels on their schoolbags sure made it easy for us to direct them to the appropriate line when the last bell rang.)

FREE back-to-school backpack tags + tutorial

>>> download for FREE here <<<

You’ll need a 2×5″x3.5″ self-seal laminating pouch, 2 circle reinforcement labels, a business card size printable (courtesy of us!) a pair of scissors and hole punch. Easy so far, right? (;

Creating-a-backpack-tag

It was a snap to put together, I promise!

  1. Cut out printable (free download files here).
  2. Press a round reinforcement label on the less clear side of the laminating pouch (don’t worry if it’s crooked the first time as the pouches are repositionable… okay as I’m typing this up I realize you can just stick that sucker in the center of the each of the prints, which is way easier! Oops! Ha!)
  3. Press front (the side with the letter) on the less clear side of the laminating pouch.
  4. Place back (the side with your students info) on top of the back (you can dab a smidgen of glue between the tags to keep them from shuffling while putting the tag together) and simply push the pouch close, using a credit card to clear out any bubbles in the pouch.
  5. Remove the yellow pouch strip, punch the hole and tie your ribbon through.
  6. That’s it, a personalized backpack tag that’s not too personal:

DIY-backpack-tag

My little guy doesn’t start school for another 2 weeks but is darn excited to wear his backpack with “special thing” already! I snapped a quick shot of him practicing tracing letters in a preschool coloring book sportin’ his new backpack tag.

LollyJane.com

Check out the back-to-school fonts we used for these printables:

13 FREE school fonts

Sure hope you enjoy these backpack tags! We’d sure appreciate a “pin” as a thank you for the FREE printable! (;

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14 Comments

  1. I had to print out the “I ride home in my car” back side of tag. My son is 16 & drives himself to school so when I saw that I just bursted out laughing…hoping he sees the humor in it too!!

  2. Hi Kristi! Thank you so much for sharing the files and the tutorial! Such a cute thing for a child’s backpack! You are not losing your child, just letting the teacher borrow him for a few hours each day! All will be well! Have a nice week! Blessings from Bama!

  3. Love the tags!
    My girl walks to Aftercare 3 day’s a week and I pick her up from school the other 2 days. What to do…I guess I just only print out the letter and make her a cute letter tag!

  4. I’m having problems downloading the tags. I keep getting a message that states the files I’m trying to see are either deleted are unavailable to me.

    1. Hey Jacinda! Sorry you had troubles- we’ve checked the links and they all seem to be good to go! (: Enjoy! XO

  5. What a cute tag!! I don’t think you are ever prepared for the big milestones in your child’s life. I’m packing up my daughter’s stuff to move her into her 1st apartment tomorrow morning. Talk about crying!! But no matter where they are, they are still your baby and they will always need their mom!! Thanks for the printable and Good luck on the 1st day of Preschool…just have a box of tissues handy 🙂

  6. Sooooooo cute sis!!!! Can’t believe Kaseface is already off to preschool. That went by too fast 🙁

  7. Hi Kristi~

    The little backpack tag is SO cute! I will have to pass this idea on to my sister, who has little ones! She would love this idea. 🙂 And that is such a precious photo of your son with his backpack on, all ready for preschool!

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    Blessings,
    Jenni

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