• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Family Recipes
  • Book Club
  • My Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Family Recipes
  • Book Club
  • My Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Blog » School Days

    DIY Graduation Photo Idea for Kids

    Published: Jun 12, 2014 · Modified: May 9, 2022 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

    • Share
    • Email Friend!

    Make a custom high school graduation t-shirt and take annual milestone photos of your child every summer starting in kindergarten. Such a fun thing to display at a future high school graduation party!

    A class t-shirt says "Class of 2028"

    Since my girls started kindergarten and preschool respectively, we've been doing the cutest annual summer photo session ever.

    I created custom high school graduation shirts with their years on the front and we've taken a simple backyard photo with them every summer.

    I plan to print them out for their graduation party so they can see just how much they've grown.

    When we first started in 2012, ironing on those Class of 2025 and Class of 2028 messages made me really stop in my tracks.

    Those years seemed so very far away, they sounded nearly futuristic to me!

    Now I can count the number of years left for this milestone photo on one hand. Time goes faster than you think!

    Here's everything you need to know to recreate this tradition for your kids.

    Jump to:
    • Supplies You Need
    • How to Make a Custom Graduation Shirt
    • How Much Time You'll Need
    • How to Store the Shirts
    • Photo Tips for the Photo Session
    • 💬 Comments
    Two young girls wearing high school graduation t-shirts for a milestone photo.

    Supplies You Need

    This is really such a simple custom craft. All you need is:

    • A blank t-shirt: I used an adult size L for the girls so they can grow into it.
    • Iron-on Letters & Numbers: I preferred to use white letters like these and numbers like these.
    • An iron
    • A clean tea towel

    PRO TIP: When I selected the t-shirts to use, I chose a neutral color not their high school colors because I wasn't sure if we would move or switch schools before graduation.

    I'm so glad I did this because neither girl will be attending the high school we were originally assigned. A lot can change between kindergarten and freshman year of high school!

    This would also be a great first project to make with your Silhouette Cameo! You could cut your own custom designs on heat transfer vinyl instead.

    • Silhouette Cameo Getting Started

    How to Make a Custom Graduation Shirt

    If you've never done iron on letters before, I suggest testing it out on a scrap piece of fabric to get the hang of it.

    Thankfully, small mistakes are easily overlooked in the photos but you'll be dragging these shirts out year after year so you'll want to get them looking as best you can!

    1. Prewash and dry the t-shirts so you can avoid shrinkage.
    2. Preheat your oven to the settings required by your iron-on letters and numbers.
    3. Iron the shirts to remove any wrinkles.
    4. Let the shirts completely cool from the heat of the iron before placing the letters. If the shirts are too hot, the letters may stick before you're ready.
    5. Once the letters and numbers are placed as you want them, lay the clean tea towel over the design and iron them into place as directed on your materials.
    6. Carefully peel back the plastic coating from your letters.
    7. Turn the t-shirts inside out and iron the design from the back to seal all the edges.

    How Much Time You'll Need

    The whole project took me about 20 minutes for two shirts.

    You may need a little more time if you're washing and drying them before doing the project.

    How to Store the Shirts

    I pack the finished tees away with their birthday hats and first day of school chalkboards, only to be worn once a year between now and senior year.

    As soon as we are done with the photo session, the shirts get folded right back up and stored away.

    The one year we didn't do this, they got lost in the house and we had to hunt for them for an entire morning before we could get our photos taken!

    Photo Tips for the Photo Session

    Easy milestone photo fun for high school graduation! | Peanut Blossom

    The first year I took their photo, I had them also stand next to a baby tree in our backyard.

    Sadly that tree didn't make it to the next summer but my intentions were good.

    I recommend picking a nice spot in your front or back yards for the photo and keeping the spot consistent from year after year.

    I take one photo of both girls together and then individual photos of each girl.

    I love how the shirts looked so large on my tiny peanuts when we first started!

    In those first photos, they look like dresses and are falling off their shoulders but now they are getting very close to fitting perfectly!

    « Easy Grilled Meatball Skewers
    Potty Training Preparation Tips »

    Reader Interactions

    Trackbacks

    1. Kickstart an awesome summer: last day of school celebration says:
      May 14, 2015 at 8:43 am

      […] This was a new tradition we started last year and perhaps one of the most clever I’ve stumbled across. I’m taking pictures of my girls in their future high school graduation years every year between now and their senior year. Won’t this make an adorable photo collage?? You can check out exactly how I did it here. […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

    Memorial Day Recipes

    • Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart
    • Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
    • Firecracker Cream Cheese Pinwheels
    • Fresh Strawberry Bruschetta

    Popular

    • Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • Best Book Club Picks for 2021
    • 10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • 30 School Lunch Ideas for Kids
    • 30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • Classic Beef Bolognese Sauce
    • 30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • 21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Favorites

    • Bread Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Quick Dinner Recipes
    • Harry Potter Fan Club
    • Reading with Kids

    Holidays

    • Easter Recipes
    • 4th of July Recipes
    • Catholic Celebrations
    • Thanksgiving Recipes
    • Christmas Recipes & Ideas

    Copyright © 2022