Mini Backpack from a Paper Bag

🎂 6 + years ⏱️ 30 min 📍 Anywhere ⭐ medium

This little backpack makes a wonderful gift for someone starting school. You can fill it with sweets, a lucky charm, colorful pens, or a small note. Since it's handmade, it carries a lot of love. Perhaps you remember your own first day of school. The feeling of holding the school cone is immense. But guess what? Even small, handmade gifts stay in the heart. They show that someone thought of you and took the time. So grab a paper bag, colorful paper, scissors, and glue, and let's get started. In the end, you'll hold a little piece of art that looks almost like a real backpack, just in mini size.

What you'll need

1 sturdy paper bag
1 colored A4 sheet
Scissors
Glue or glue stick
Colored pencils or stickers for decoration
Ribbon or bow
Small surprises to fill
2 paper clips

How it works

Carefully cut off the two handles of the bag with scissors. Place the bag with the opening facing up. You won't need the cut-off handles.
Take the colored A4 sheet. Fold it once along the short side to create a flap. Now cut a strip along the long side of the sheet (about three fingers wide). Set this strip aside; it will be for the straps.
Take the large piece of paper. This will be the lid. Round the two corners with scissors. Apply glue to the folded flap of the paper piece. Stick this flap on the outside of the back of the bag, right at the top edge. The fold should align with the opening.
Grab the long strip you cut earlier. Cut it into two equal pieces. These will be the straps for the backpack. Each piece already has a glue flap on one side from the first fold. At the other end, fold a small piece over.
Glue them to the outside of the back of the bag. Tie a bow with ribbon at the front of the lid. This gives the backpack a gift-like feel. You can also write the name of the school child on the lid or draw symbols like letters, numbers, or stars.
Fill the mini backpack with your surprises: trail mix, pencils, glue stick, eraser, candy, stickers. Close the lid. To keep the lid from popping open, you can secure it with a paper clip. Ready to gift for the first day of school!