Crafting With Tweens - Stencil Painted Tote Bags

Tweens are always in need of a tote bag - a trip to the library, toys to take to their grandparent house, dry clothes for a trip to the pool, or snacks for a days outing. They can easily make their bags super cute by adding a little color to it.

This is my first post in the series "Crafting With Tweens". There are so many craft/activity ideas for preschool and kindergarten age children, but the older kids, the 8-11 tweens sometimes miss out on crafty projects that they will like. As I do projects with my girls, I will share the easy tutorials on here so my readers can get ideas of craft projects for their older kids.
This was actually a group project that my girls worked on. At my church, I am in charge of a twice monthly activity for the girls that are 8-11. We have a lesson, do service, and often work on some sort of craft project. The other leader and I thought this would be a fun project for the girls to work on. They enjoyed individualizing their bags and it was a fun night.

Crafting With Tweens - Stencil Painted Tote Bags

Kids will have fun working on this project. They can pick out their own colored paint and add any extra decorations that they want. The girls that painted their bags made them all so unique, it is a nice way to show their personality.

Supplies Needed for Tote Bags

To purchase the items needed to make these painted tote bags, you can use the following affiliate links or buy supplies at your local store. I will receive a small portion of any sale in exchange for advertising these items.

Tote Bags - We ordered them through Oriental Trading, but you can buy them here too.

Foam Brushes

Paper Doilies

Letter Stencils

Acrylic Paint

Wax Paper

Easy Tutorial to Make Stenciled Tote Bags With Kids

Kids will love this easy project and it is a quick one for them too. They can decorate these cute bags in ten minutes or less. So gather the supplies and they can get crafting!

1. Lay down some newspaper or craft paper to protect your crafting area in case of spills.

2. Put a piece of wax paper inside the bag as it lays flat. This will keep paint from seeping through to the back side of the bag.

3. Place the doily halfway off the bag in one of the bottom corners of the bag. Dip the sponge brush into the paint and dab the brush onto the open part of the doily straight down and up while holding the doily in place. Continue around the doily.

4. After the paint from the doily stencil has dried, pick a letter stencil and put it inside the painted ring. Using the sponge brush, dab up and down to stencil the letter onto the tote bag.

That's it! Let the paint dry, take out the wax paper, then let the kids use their fun new tote bag. Or if the kids want to, they can decorate the bag a little more.

I've found that when given the opportunity, kids take the chance to express their creativity. These bags are so wonderful and I'm glad they were able to decorate them just how they wanted.

So whether the kids decide to do the basic stencil with a doily and letter, or add some more decoration to the bags, they will have a fun time and end up with a neat bag to use.