Back to School Shrinky Dinks – Free Traceable Templates
Easily craft these back to school Shrinky Dinks using the free traceable templates – and turn them into keychains and jewelry! When you’re done, try these Shrinky Dink earrings too! This post contains affiliate links.
It’s been a while since I shared a good back to school craft, so I decided to design some back to school Shrinky Dinks templates for you to enjoy! These school supplies are super fun and friendly, and include a printable traceable template so that anyone can craft them.
They’re the perfect way to keep your big kids and tweens busy in the days before school starts, with a relaxing craft that’s functional and fun!
Tips for making your Back to School Shrinky Dinks
Shrinky dinks are the type of craft that can be done at virtually any level – and I’m going to teach you how to do it right. But you can, of course, take the “I’m just doing it” approach and ignore these instructions – do it the way you always have!
Which markers to use
You can do Shrinky Dinks with many different types of markers, however, my personal preference will always be paint markers! They give a gorgeous, professional, opaque finish.
There is, however, one big downside: they do not absorb into the surface of your project at all. When you have a paint that sits on a non-porous (smooth) surface, it scratches off very easily. So you’ll want to seal it.
Sharpies (or any regular alcohol-based permanent markers) don’t represent that problem. They absorb right in, giving you a seamless finish. However, they are translucent so your effect will be a bit different.
I wanted to show this to you using an affordable but high quality paint marker, so I used Ohuhu’s dual tipped acrylic markers for this. They are great but I do find that my (pricey) Poscas have a more consistent solid finish and last far longer.
So if you’re looking to invest in high quality art supplies, get those Poscas, but if you’re looking for a more affordable supply for you next few crafts, the Ohuhus are fabulous.
Shrinking them
The classic way to shrink Shrinky Dinks is to pop them in the oven (or whatever the package says). My personal preference is to zap it with a heat gun. You have more control, you’re not melting toxic plastics in your food prep areas, and it can be done right in the craft room.
The plastic will twist and turn all different ways but once you’ve properly melted it all, it should lay mostly flat. I did mess up a bit on the eraser, stopping too soon, but it was mostly fixable.
You can then flatten it further with a silicone turner or whatever you have handy (I used my metal water bottle.)
Sealing them
Sealing Shrinky Dinks is a million dollar question – and there are many ways to do it (I’m working on a separate post for that!). You absolutely need to seal them if you’re creating something you want to last long, and if you’re using paint markres.
I sprayed an acrylic spray over it. The trick is to go very light with your layer and do multiple layers if needed.
More options for sealing it are UV resin (really my favorite), Dimensional Magic from Mod Podge, or other hard finishing Mod Podge formulas (such as outdoor, Ultra gloss, or Dishwasher safe formulas).
What to make with these back to school Shrinky Dinks
The question really is – what do you do with your back to school Shrinky Dinks once you’ve made them? There are so many things you can do – you can just do them for fun or turn them into something cool!
Turning them into keychains
I decided that keychains are the perfect back to school craft so that’s what I did! The backpack has a natural point on the design to add a jumpring and keychain but the others needed holes punched.
I used two types of keychains for this: ball chain for some, and a regular split ring keychain for some. I really liked the ball chain better but I made the hole too small on some. It’s a fun choice for back-to-school workshops as it is so easy to install and comes in fun colors.
Once you turn them into keychains, you can hang them on backpacks – but don’t stop there! Attach them to your zipper binders, pencil cases, or even hoodie zippers!
You can even use these as name labels, writing a name on the back (post shrinking) with a permanent marker. Just be aware that keychains sometimes do fall off, so add an alternative name to the item as well.
Making Jewelry and other ideas
Shrinky dinks can also be turned into jewelry, however, these school supplies were sized for keychains. Some of the smaller ones are still the right size for dangle earrings (like the pencil sharpener and eraser) or even pendants (like the notebook and crayon). Some need to be printed at smaller scale.
You can make these smaller and try the following:
- Punch holes, add a jumpring, and hang from a string to make a necklace.
- Punch holes, add a jumpring and a bead link and then an earwire to make dangle earrings.
- Glue onto flat pad ear studs to make stud earrings.
- Punch a hole, add a jumpring, and attach to a link bracelet to make a charm bracelet!
The Back to School Shrinky Dinks designs
Before I share the actual tutorial, I want to show you the designs that I made:
First is a friendly crayon! I colored her purple.
Next is a bright and colorful backpack.
I created a marble composition notebook too. You can ditch the face on this one and write something in the name space instead.
Classic yellow pencils with bright pink erasers are always winners!
But we did include a standalone eraser, a mainstay on supplies lists, too.
And why not add in a long ruler for interest! You can make this as a bracelet or ring if you manage to size it right – and curl it around something while still hot (wear heat-proof gloves to do this.)
The sharpener is way too cute – with a toothy smile, of course!
These fit beautifully on one sheet of Shrinky Dinks, but you can, of course, make just the ones you like best!
How to make back to school Shrinky Dinks
Supplies Needed
- The template printed on paper (download it at the end of this post)
- A sheet of clear Shrinky Dinks
- Washi or other low tack paper tape
- Paint markers
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Resin (UV resin + lamp + silicone paintbrush) or acrylic sealer to seal it
- Keychains – split ring or ball chain
To shrink it manually (you can use an oven instead)
- Heat gun
- Protective surface (something you’d iron on)
- Pick tool to hold it in place while shrinking
- Silicone spatula, metal water bottle, or some other heat-resistant item that can be used to flatten it.
Process
1. Tape your Shrinky Dinks over your template.
2. Start coloring your design! I like to first fill in the inside color, making sure not to color over the outlines (since the paint marker is opaque – you won’t be able to see it well. )
3. Then, I go over the outlines. If an area is white make sure to color that as well.
Trace all the ones you plan to make!
4. Remove the images from the background, and make sure you didn’t miss any important spots.
5. Cut them out around the border. I cut them on the lines -you can leave a bit of a border if you want.
6. Punch a hole (the backpack doesn’t need it if you cut out inside the top handle.) I do recommend using a regular sized hole punch – not a small one. It shrinks quite a lot. Leave enough space at the edge for it to stay strong (at least the size of the hole).
7. Place your plastic on a heat protective surface. Hold it in place with a pick in the hole (so you don’t poke a new one) and zap! Move your gun around and shrink it evenly all around, until it’s basically re-proportionate and stops shrinking.
8. If you can, quickly flatten it further with something heat-resistant. I used a water bottle but a spatula can work more efficiently.
Shrink all your pieces!
9. Seal your back to school shrinky dinks using your preferred method.
10. Attach a keychain and enjoy!
Your back to school Shrinky Dinks are complete! Which will you be making? Comment below!
Download the Back to School Shrinky Dinks traceable Templates
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