School Bus Template – Paper Toy or Gift Box!
This beautiful school bus template comes in both SVG cut files and PDF printables to use as a gift box or paper toy! When you’re done, try these back to school bookmarks too. This post contains affiliate links.
Eons ago, I designed a school bus treat box for my school-bus-obsessed nephew’s birthday party. Time has passed… and while you can still download that one for free, I decided to update that one and offer an SVG as well as more assembly-friendly options for you to use!
Just like the original, this school bus template has fun details like separate wheels that spin and an opening to add in gifts. I wanted to keep it as simple to assemble and as paper-friendly as possible and it was designed that way.
I also added in a fun detail: a fold-out stop sign.
Get the school bus template
To make this so much better, this school bus is a premium template. It’s available for purchase in my site shop and on Etsy (for international buyers).
Your download includes:
- An SVG cut file file (including score lines) for machine cutting
- A transparent-background PNG that’ll work for Print then Cut, or to format as you’d like. You can use this along with the score lines in the SVG if you want an easy assembly that’s ready-to-go.
- A printable PDF to cut out and assemble.
- A PDF template to trace onto colored papers to cut out and assemble.
- PDF Instructions for each file type
Favorite ways to use and assemble your school bus template
Variations
When designing this box, I wanted to keep it as versatile and as easy to assemble as possible while still making it somewhat interactive. To do that, I made the wheels separate. I attached them with brad pins so that they can spin.
You can definitely just glue them right on to make things more basic!
You can also substitute buttons or some other fun element as wheels.
The stop sign is attached with a tab to fold out. You can also snip off the tab and glue the stop sign right on!
Add text if you’d like!
If you’re using your school bus template as a gift box, you can add a message right on! Do this by cutting letters out on your Cricut, use alphabet stickers, or attach “draw” text to your Cricut template. You can edit the PNG in photo editing apps and overlay text on that.
If using stickers, write out your text. Cut it out around the words. Fold the paper in half to find the center point. Measure the center of where you’re placing text, and, following your written guide, place letters using tweezers and starting in the center to make it even.
Of course, you can write on it too!
Ways to use it
The original school bus template was designed as a party favor box, to fill with treats or prizes. However, I’ve since used it as a “tip box.” I simply rolled up the cash tip designated for my kids’ bus drivers and placed it inside. It’s a cute way to gift cash!
You can make it large enough to fit a gift card. Stuff it with chocolates to accompany cash or gift cards.
We’ve also enjoyed using these as paper toys – yes, the kids can simply play with them! Simply glue the lid shut instead of leaving it to open and close.
I’ve also stuffed them with treats for the kids on the first day of school!
If you have more ideas, simply drop a comment at the end of this post.
If you haven’t yet, you can get the template here!
Assembling the school bus template
Assembly focuses on the cut-and-glue version, however you’ll find instructions for folding the final box too!
What you’ll need
- Cardstock in yellow, black, red, and white – OR good quality white printer cardstock if using a printable version.
- Glue (I used tacky glue)
- Glue lines/double sided tape
- Recommended: Tweezers
- 4 Brads
For hand cutting:
- Scissors
- Recommended: stiff ruler
- Scoring tool
For Cricut cutting:
- Cricut cutting machine – I used my Maker 3
- LightGrip mat
- Fine Point Blade
- Scoring Wheel (for Maker machines) or Scoring Stylus (for Explore machines)
- Recommneded: Brayer for adhering your materials well to the mat
- Spatula
Putting it together
1. Cut out and score your parts using your cutting machine or by hand. If machine cutting, load your scoring tool for the score lines.
Note, any photos taken here were taken on an earlier prototype – some improvements were made to the template after, so please allow for a few discrepancies!
Try to keep track of your black parts as much as possible – I recommend cutting those last and removing them from the mat as you work, however, you can also simply follow the final photo (or print the printable PDF) as a reference to see where it goes.
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2. Glue on the two side driver windows so that the angle aligns with the front of the bus angle.
3. Glue on the front windshield. Glue the driver’s door right below one window. Your copy will have a hole for wheel placement – make sure to align it with the hole on your bus base.
4. Glue your top windows – those are the narrower ones. Use the top edge of the drier window as a guide and align them along the top. Space them evenly apart between the driver window and the end of that side of the bus.
5. Glue the rest of the window right below it, aligning the bottoms with the bottom of the driver window. You may find that lining it up with a ruler helps.
6. Glue two white lines on either side right below the passenger windows.
7. Fold back the tab on the stop sign..
8. Glue it in place on the side without the driver door, so that it folds back toward the passenger windows.
9. Glue the four red circles to the back of the bus, and the two white to the front bottom panel.
10. Glue your black circles on the yellow ones so that the holes align.
11. Place glue lines on all your flaps – besides the back cover flap. Leave the backing in place.
12. Prefold your bus along the score lines to make assembly easier. They are all mountain folds, except for the part right below the windshield, which is a valley fold (it’s easy to fix as you assemble if you get that wrong).
13. Insert the brads into your wheels. Thread that through the holes. The holes were made on the smaller end of things to make it more versatile with which brads you can use, but all you need is the starter to just thread your brad through.
14. Open them on the back of the school bus template, making sure that they don’t cross over the folds (place the tails parallel to the fold).
15. Remove the backing from the tape the front of the bus. Connect the flaps with the corresponding portion of the side of the bus – the front portion.
16. Repeat this on the other side of the front of the bus.
17. Connect the bottom portion of the bus in front to the front of the bus right below the headlights.
18. The trickiest part is the last: connect the long side of your school bus template along the side and bottom. If your bus is large enough, place pressure from the inside using your hand. Otherwise, slightly pinch it to secure.
19. Finally, close the back of your bus lid! Yours will work better than this photo as this was a prototype and I trimmed down your version.
Your school bus template is complete!
If you haven’t yet, you can download it here.
