If you’re looking for fun way to decorate your child’s pencils for the upcoming school year, check out this list of 23 adorable DIY pencil topper crafts for kids! These DIY pencil topper ideas are perfect for a variety of different ages and themes.
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Can you believe it’s already almost back-to-school time? Only one month to go before the summer holidays are over and our family of seven goes back to its regular routine.
We’ll be going back-to-school shopping soon, where we’ll be picking up exactly 9 erasers, 18 Duo-Tangs and 44 pencils for our first- and second-grader, along with a host of other items they’ll be needing during the school year.
We will, of course, be labelling every single item, as per the school’s instructions. (Thank goodness for Avery labels that remove the need to write out our kids’ names hundreds of times by hand!)
But when it comes to identifying school supplies, why not go a step further than labels, and create DIY decorations that are unique to your child?
My seven-year-old absolutely loved the Air Dry Clay Pencil Toppers that we made last year when she was starting first grade, so now that we have a second child starting first grade, we thought we would give it another go.
And as it turns out, there are lots of ways you can make adorable homemade pencil toppers using felt, paper, pipe cleaners, air dry clay, craft foam sheets and a variety of other materials.
That’s why I’ve rounded up the cutest pencil topper crafts I could find and gathered them all up into one article. Keep scrolling for lots of fun pencil topper craft ideas!
1. Air Dry Clay Pencil Toppers
Did you know you could make DIY pencil toppers with air dry clay? This super simple pencil topper craft requires just one simple supply, and it can be customized to fit any theme you can think of.
Read the full tutorial: Easy Pencil Toppers with Air Dry Clay
2. Paper Clay Animal Pencil Toppers
Don’t have any air dry clay at home? Not a problem! These cute pencil topper animals are made using homemade paper clay (and you definitely have all the required ingredients at home).
Read the full tutorial: Paper Clay Animal Pencil Toppers
3. Pom-Pom Bear Pencil Toppers
How adorable are these teddy bear pencil toppers?! Find out how to make these these cute DIY pencil toppers with pipe cleaners and pom-poms. My kids would love this craft!
Read the full tutorial: Pom Pom Bear Pencil Toppers
4. Felt Pencil Topper Animals
Does your child love animals? If so, give these cute felt animal pencil toppers a try! The article includes a free template that you can use to make this craft super straightforward.
Read the full tutorial: Felt Pencil Topper Animals
5. Felt Ladybug Pencil Toppers
Have some felt leftover from your latest craft? Use the scraps to make some adorable felt pencil toppers shaped like ladybugs. So cute!
Read the full tutorial: Felt Ladybug Pencil Toppers
6. Mini Trolls Pencil Toppers
If your kids love Trolls, this craft is for you. Not only is it cute and colourful, but the article includes free templates for Poppy, Branch, Maggie and DJ Suki, which means that your kids can easily choose which of their favourite characters they want to use to decorate their school supplies!
Read the full tutorial: Mini Trolls Pencil Toppers
7. Minion Pencil Toppers
…Or, if your kids prefer Despicable Me, grab the free Minion template from the article below and use it to make some adorable DIY pencil decorations shaped like everyone’s favourite sidekicks!
Read the full tutorial: Minion Pencil Toppers
8. Patronus Charm Pencil Toppers
Love the Harry Potter series? Turn small plastic toys into gorgeous silver animals reminiscent of those conjured up by the Patronus Charm… which you can then use to decorate all of your pens and pencils.
Read the full tutorial: Patronus Charm Pencil Toppers
9. Emoji Pencil Toppers
If you’re a fan of using emojis in your text messages, you’ll love this adorable emoji pencil topper craft. The one pictured above is a heart-eye emoji, but you can customize yours to match any emoji you like!
Read the full tutorial: Emoji Pencil Toppers
10. Poop Emoji Pencil Toppers
I’ll be honest here and admit that I’ve never really understood the poop emoji craze… but other people clearly do, and if you’re one of them, then you’ll definitely want to check out this project! (My kids thought the picture was really funny.)
Read the full tutorial: Poop Emoji Pencil Toppers
11. Felt Mermaid Pencil Toppers
With four young daughters, we probably have more than our fair share of unicorn-, princess- and mermaid-themed items at home. But because there can never be enough mermaids, this sparkly pencil topper craft is definitely making the short list this year!
Read the full tutorial: Felt Mermaid Pencil Toppers
12. Funny Heart Pencil Toppers
Feeling a little silly? These funny heart pencil toppers are the perfect craft for kids looking to add a bit of whimsy to their school day!
Read the full tutorial: Funny Heart Pencil Toppers
13. Pipe Cleaner Heart Pencil Toppers
Want to make pencil toppers with your kids, but running low on supplies? This easy pencil topper craft requires only one supply: pipe cleaners. Click the link below to find out how to make DIY pipe cleaner pencil toppers in just a few minutes!
Read the full tutorial: Pipe Cleaner Heart Pencil Toppers
14. Valentine Pencil Toppers
Looking for a fun little project to make with your Cricut? These cute heart-shaped pencil toppers are sure to put a smile on your child’s face!
Read the full tutorial: Valentine Pencil Toppers
15. Cupid Arrow Pencil Toppers
These cupid’s arrow pencil toppers are also perfect for Valentine’s Day, and you’ll only need a few simple supplies in order to make them.
Read the full tutorial: Cupid’s Arrow Pencil Toppers
16. Felt Rocket Ship Pencil Toppers
This easy rocket ship pencil toppers are perfect for kids who love everything to do with space!
Read the full tutorial: Felt Rocket Ship Pencil Toppers
17. Independence Day Pencil Toppers
Looking for a cute project to celebrate the 4th of July? Grab some craft foam in red, white and blue, and use it to make these cool star-shaped pencil toppers to decorate your pencils.
Read the full tutorial: Independence Day Pencil Toppers
18. Felt Monster Pencil Toppers
How adorable are these colourful pencil top monsters?! Grab the free template in the article and use it to make these cute one-eyed monsters that are perfect for Halloween.
Read the full tutorial: Felt Monster Pencil Toppers
19. Simple Monster Pencil Toppers
Or, if you’re looking for a simpler craft that younger kids can help with, these easy monster pencil toppers are a great way to get them involved in the crafting process!
Read the full tutorial: Simple Monster Pencil Toppers
20. Easy Halloween Pencil Toppers
If you picked up some Halloween foam stickers at the dollar store and you’re looking for something fun to do with them, grab some pipe cleaners and use them to turn the stickers into simple Halloween pencil toppers for your kids!
Read the full tutorial: Easy Halloween Pencil Toppers
21. DIY Christmas Pencil Toppers
…Or, if the holidays are just around the corner and you’re looking for something festive to make with your kids, why not use your pipe cleaners to make these Christmas-themed pencil toppers instead?
Read the full tutorial: DIY Christmas Pencil Toppers
22. Pinwheel Pencil Toppers
Do you have some colourful paper lying around that you’re not sure what to do with? Turn it into DIY pinwheel toppers in just a few steps!
Read the full tutorial: Pinwheel Pencil Toppers
23. Kindness Pencil Toppers
Finally, if you’re looking for a way to spread a little kindness, this super simple pencil topper craft is a great way to do it. You can also customize the message to say anything you like—including providing some extra encouragement for your child.
Read the full tutorial: Kindness Pencil Toppers
Related Back-to-School Crafts
Looking for more fun crafts to get your kids excited for school? Check out these articles:
- Easy Milk Carton School Bus (with Free Template!)
- Free Printable Back-to-School Colouring Pages
- 30+ Cutest Recycled Pencil Holder Crafts for Kids & Adults
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