Your kids will have great fun designing their own t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers and novelty items. The coolest part is you can have these items printed on demand at Cafe Press.* You can make your own shirts and things just for fun, but this is also a good way for older kids to earn money for church, sports, or school fundraisers or to boost school spirit.
Have your child draw, paint, take photographs, or use any medium or combination of mediums he or she likes to create a logo, slogan, or artistic design. If the design is made without the use of a computer, scan the image, or take a digital photo and upload it to the computer.
Register at Cafe Press, upload your images, and decide which items you’d like to see your designs printed on. Set up a store if desired, or simply order these items yourself or to share with family and friends.
Your child may decide to go with his or her favorite color or school colors or something altogether different. Whatever your child chooses, contrasting colors will create the greatest impact. Remember that light colors will show up better on dark backgrounds and vice versa, so keep this in mind when creating the design and when deciding what color you want your novelty items or t-shirts to be.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the less copy (lettering) you have on your items, the easier they will be to read and the greater impact they will make. Also, choose a simple font or letter style rather than scripts or those with fancy serifs, because they are easier to read as well.
Help your child discover the artist within and design his or her own line of shirts and novelty items. Selling these products is also a great way for older kids to make a little extra pocket money. All their friends will want a shirt that is designed by someone they know. Your child might even start a new trend!
*Parents should handle transactions with Cafe Press or at least supervise children on that site. Some of the content contains political, social, or mature messages/slogans, which may not be appropriate for children.