Unique {and USEFUL} Father’s Day Gift

Tired of the giving the same old Father’s Day gifts? Want your children to use their imagination to create something unique while still having it be useful? Here is a quick, easy, and inexpensive gift your kids can make this year. (I recommend this for ages 4+).

1) Gather up your materials.

You will need:

  • T-shirt (darker colors work best. I love these soft shirts I found in the men’s section at Target)
  • Bleach pen
  • Cardboard

father's day gift craft project

 2) Practice.

You only get one shot with this project, so planning ahead is essential. I suggest having your child practice their drawing a couple times. It is very hard to achieve details with this project so I suggest simple line drawings.

I also suggest having your child practice drawing with the bleach pen on a paper plate so they are comfortable with squeezing it while moving the pen.

3) INSERT CARDBOARD!

This may seem simple and obvious, but if you don’t put cardboard (or some other barrier) between the layers of material, the bleach will run through to the back.

4) Draw image on shirt.

Have your child draw on the shirt with the bleach pen. Let the bleach sit for a few minutes to make sure it is working (you should be able to see the change in color around the lines of bleach). However, don’t leave it too long or it can spread. I usually let it sit 3-5 minutes, depending on how the shirt I’m using. Dark colors tend to bleach more quickly.

father's day gift craft project

After drawing A LOT of ideas, my 4-year-old daughter finally settled on a motorcycle and sun.

father's day gift craft project

5) Rinse, wash, & dry.

Rinse the shirt thoroughly (and then some more) to make sure all the bleach is out. Then wash and dry it as normal.

father's day gift craft project

6) Wrap it up!

The hardest part of this whole project is trying to get your kids to actually wait until Father’s Day.

father's day gift craft project

Have fun crafting, and show those daddies how much they are loved!

 

Michele Langseth
Michele is a wife and a mother of three girls (7, 4, &1). She is originally from Sioux City, IA but has lived with her husband in North Liberty for almost 9 years. She works from home as an in-home childcare provider as well as a mompreneur making specialty desserts as well as children’s accessories and apparel. She spends her days creating all types of artwork and food while constantly learning new skills. She began her blog vanillabeansanddaydreams.blogspot.com this year as a way to document her journey to rediscover her passion for art.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for this great idea! My kids enjoyed so much working on the new decorated T-shirt for their dad. And my husband really liked it!

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