T-Shirt Painting Ideas for Kids

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Get your kid's creative juices flowing with fabric paint and T-shirts.

From pictures to quotes, designs on T-shirts are a way of expressing thoughts for both kids and adults. T-shirts are inexpensive and not too difficult to decorate with markers, pens and paint. Painting T-shirts with kids is not only an activity that passes time, but also lets your kids create a design that they can call their own. Your kids can wear their custom T-shirts around the house and out to events once the paint is dry.

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Footprint Designs

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Purchase fabric paint and white or colored T-shirts from your area craft or retail superstore. Place the T-shirts on three to four sheets of newspaper or plastic sheeting. Pour the paint in a plastic container or paper plate and use a sponge to apply paint to your kids' feet. Have your kids walk and jump on the T-shirts. Let them be creative and make borders or draw out a design with one toe. Let your kids sign the T-shirts, using a small paintbrush, once the design is finished. Hang the shirts on a clothesline or drying rack to air dry.

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Fabric Marker Designs

Give your kids a set of fabric markers and let them design a scene on the front of T-shirts depicting their neighborhood, church, school or other element in their lives. Or have them spell out phrases like “My mommy or daddy deserves a pat on the back" or “I love my neighborhood.” Let the shirts dry before turning them over and having the kids design an additional scene on the back.

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Finger Painting

Purchase colored T-shirts and fabric paint in multiple colors including white. Lay the shirts in a row on a newspaper or plastic sheeting-covered table or floor. Let your kids start at one end of the table or floor and paint a scene from their favorite book, movie or computer game across the shirts with their fingers. Assign each kid a specific part of the scene to speed up the process. Once the T-shirts are dry, dress each of your kids in the shirts to see the complete scene.

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Sponge Painting

If feet or finger painting is too messy or your kids, let them sponge paint one or more designs on a series of T-shirts. Purchase one or more stencils to inspire kids who are lacking for ideas. Get stencils containing their favorite animals or letter stencils so they can spell out phrases and words.

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Glow-In-The-Dark Designs

Purchase a set of glow-in-the-dark fabric paint pens, turn off the lights and have your kids design a series of Halloween, Christmas or other holiday T-shirts. Let them use holiday stencils if they don't want to draw freehand. After the shirts dry, let them glue holiday embellishments, using a hot glue gun, on the shirts.

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