DIY First Day of School Chalkboard Sign with

FREE Printable and Downloadable Files

Back to School

It’s the beginning of September and that means it’s that time again. It’s time for the kids to head back to school. In our case, it’s time for our firstborn, Will, to head off to school for the very first time (hold on, grabbing my tissues.) We’ve all seen those adorable first day of school chalkboard sign photos while scrolling through our newsfeeds. It’s such a sweet way to start off the school year. I couldn’t imagine sending Will off on his first day without creating one of our own. I created our file, got cutting, and now I’m sharing it with you! This post is going to help you create your very own chalkboard sign quickly, easily, and inexpensively!

Whether you have a vinyl cutting machine or not you can use this link below to have a chalkboard printable PDF or silhouette cameo file sent directly to your inbox! Simply print the PDF and fill out your child’s information or import the cutting file into your cameo, make your adjustments, and you are ready to go!

Print this file right on your printer! Subscribe using the link below to download.

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The Chalkboard Sign Materials

I opted for this nice and big, 14×14 chalkboard that I found on Amazon. At a price point of 12.99 it was perfect.

I also bought a big roll of White Vinyl on amazon as well. That did not work out so well. I thought I could save money by purchasing an off brand vinyl from amazon…and I was wrong. I ended up spending more money because this vinyl did not work well for my project and I had to buy an a different vinyl as well. After I was thoroughly frustrated with my vinyl purchase I drove to Joann Fabrics and found this Circuit Matte Removable Vinyl in White and it worked perfectly.

Cameo Instructions

I created this file in the Silhouette Studio software and cut the file on my Silhouette Cameo 3.

Follow a few quick steps to use this file:

  1. Download the silhouette file from the email, the cameo files are the bottom link

  2. Import the file into your cameo library
  3. Adjust the size of the file to the size of your chalkboard and add your child’s name
  4. Add your child’s name if desired
  5. Send it to your cutting machine (since this is adhesive vinyl you do not have to mirror image this file before cutting).

The Silhouette Cameo 3 hard at work

Once you have cut and weeded your vinyl, simply transfer it to your chalkboard and you’re done!

Final Cost

To print your sign at home from your printer the cost is very minimal, or you could even send it to a printer and the cost would be very little.

The total cost for my chalkboard sign (without the vinyl mess up) was about $20.00.

This is a super fun way to kick off the school year, start a tradition, and preserve the memory of the day for years to come.

The Finished Product