Materials
Pre-washed T-shirts, one per child
stencils and sponge shapes
cardboard or paper
fabric paints
paper plates
Instructions
This is a great activity to do at the end of the school year.
1. Brainstorm with the children about what they learned throughout the year
(for example, letters, numbers, themes, dinosaurs, bears, and so on).
2. Then, make or buy stencils and sponge stamps in the needed shapes.
3. Let the children work in very small groups (with an adult in each group) to
make their T-shirts.
4. Give each child a pre-washed T-shirt. Put paper or cardboard inside the shirt
so the paint won't soak through to the back.
5. Pour fabric paint on paper plates. Encourage the children to dip the sponge
shape into the paint and then onto the shirt. If using stencils, demonstrate
how to put the stencil on the shirt where desired, dab a small piece of sponge
in the paint, and then all around the area inside the stencil.
6. Allow the shirts to dry before removing the cardboard.
Author Note: I use fabric paint to write "Mrs. Cagney's Kindergarten 2001-2002"
(write the correct year) at the bottom of each shirt. I have had parents come back
years later and tell me they still have their memory shirt! I suggest that the
parents make it into a pillow when the child outgrows the shirt.
