Easy DIY Kid’s Clothes and Backpack Hooks

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Yay for children learning independence and you doing less work as a parent! My kids aren’t tall enough to reach the clothes in their closet that are hung up, so there happened to be many a morning where said toddlers would be whining early in the AM at me to help them get their clothes down. I’m all for making mornings easier, so I quickly came up with a solution to help our mornings go a little smoother.

At night when the kids are getting ready for bed (see, I’m already awake and with them), they can pick out their clothes for the next day and hang them on these cute little hooks. So, who doesn’t have to hear whining early in the morning about clothes?? That’s right, this mama.

This project is super easy and simple. And you can customize it any way you want. Read through the tutorial below before starting and let me know if you have any questions! I used scrap wood I already had in my garage, but I’m sure you can find a similarly-sized piece of wood in some of the cutoff discount bins at the home improvement stores!

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What you’ll need:

Materials:

(1) 1 x 6 x 12” piece of wood
Stain of choice (I used True Black by Minwax)
220 (or similar) grit sandpaper
Polyurethane (Varathane Triple Thick Matte is my fave)
(2) Double pronged hooks (I got mine HERE and used the extras for other projects)
(2) 3M Command strips (like these HERE but you obviously only need as many as you make)
*OPTIONAL vinyl names

Tools Used:

Miter saw
Router (optional)
Router table (optional)
Drill
Speed square
Painter’s Pyramids (optional)

Step 1: Measure your cuts

First, draw a line that cuts the wood in half lengthwise.
Then, draw a line that cuts the wood in half widthwise.
Next, line the edge of your speed square up with the very center of one end, and then draw the line that goes from the center to the outside of the board (see picture below).
Do the same thing, but flipped, so that you make a point on each end of the board.
*Note: if you don’t have a speed square, you can easily draw these lines with a ruler!

Step 2: Make your cuts

Using a miter saw, cut out each piece.
It would be best to start with the angled ends, these should be 45 degree cuts, and then cut the board right in half.

Step 3: Round the edges (optional)

If you’re comfortable with a router, feel free to add some style to these and round over the edges! I used a ½” roundover bit in my router table, and just did one face of the boards.

Step 4: Sand

Give your wood a little sanding to smooth out any imperfections, and so it feels nice to the touch. I’d recommend either a piece of 150 or 220 grit sandpaper.

Step 5: Stain

Stain (or paint) your pieces of wood! I used the True Black stain by Minwax, but I’m sure just about any other color would work for these.
For the stain, you can just dip a piece of paper towel in the stain, cover the whole thing, wait about 5-10 minutes, and then wipe off any excess stain. I also use these painter’s pyramids whenever I can because it keeps things clean. They are totally optional, of course.

Step 6: Add hardware

Once the stain is dry to the touch, you can go ahead and add the hooks! I used these double pronged hooks that I had left over from another project. I bought this pack from Amazon that comes with 10, but you can also buy hooks like this individually from any home improvement or craft store.
To line the hook up, center it in the board, and then lower it to where it’s about 1-inch from the bottom point.
Then add your screws one at a time with your drill. These screws came with the hooks, and they’re so short, I don’t think that you need to do any pre-drilling.

Step 7: OPTIONAL addition of names

A friend offered to cut my kid’s names in vinyl stickers with her vinyl cutting machine for this project, and OF COURSE I said “yes”! I don’t own one of those, so I was super appreciative of her offer. You can always paint the kid’s names on, print and Mod Podge them on, glue their picture on it, put a picture of their favorite animal on it, or leave it without anything!
If you do choose to put their names on the wood, you can make them about 1” x 3”.

Step 7: Poly

You don’t necessarily neeeed to put a coat of polyurethane on this, since it will just be hanging things, BUT I always feel like my pieces are a little naked without some sort of coating on them.
So, if you happen to have some on hand, give your wood a coat of poly or two to add a little more protection to them. I used Varathane Triple Thick Matte, and just put on one coat.

Step 8: Hang!

You’re done and you can hang your cute hooks up! I just put a 3M Command strip (like these– non velcro) on the back of each one to hang them on the wall, and they have held up wonderfully. Even with toddler backpacks and sweaters hanging on them!

There you go! Simple, quick, cute, and effective. I’m calling this a win.