• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Book Club
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • HOLIDAYS
  • BOOK CLUB
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • HOLIDAYS
    • BOOK CLUB
    • 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.

    • "Good things are going to happen" is in vinyl on a Silhouette Cameo lid
      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!

    More School Days Tips & Tricks

    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A young kid's hand is holding a homemade pizza lunchable.
      30 School Lunch Ideas for Kids
    • A row of great read aloud books are on the living room mantle.
      Read Aloud Books for 9-Year-Olds
    • A young girl holds a copy of a book club book.
      How to Host a Book Club for Kids

    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

    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 →

    What's Trending Now

    • A photo collage shows the variety of recipes that can be made in a bread maker.
      50 Best Bread Machine Recipes
    • A blue baking dish filled with mac and cheese with bread crumb topping. A serving spoon has removed a portion to show the creamy elbow noodles.
      Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
    • An airfryer basket has 7 seasoned chicken tenderloins golden brown and cooked.
      Healthy Chicken Tenderloins in the Air Fryer
    • Two salmon filets are surrounded by fresh green beans in an air fryer basket.
      How to Cook Salmon in Air Fryer

    Popular

    • A freezer-friendly metal pan holds an 8x8-inch apple crisp with crumble topping.
      Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • A stack of the best books for book club in 2023
      Best Book Club Picks 2023
    • A taco salad made with mini frozen tacos.
      10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • A young kid's hand is holding a homemade pizza lunchable.
      30 School Lunch Ideas for Kids
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A meal train dinner kit featuring supplies for tacos sits in an aluminum tray for delivery.
      30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • Harry Potter themed snacks are in a platter with a witch hat sitting next to an open copy of a Harry Potter book.
      21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    As Seen On

    The Taste of Home Logo
    The Pioneer Woman Logo
    The Country Living Logo
    The Buzzfeed logo
    The Good Housekeeping Logo

    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

    Recipes

    Appetizers
    Dinners
    Salads
    Side Dishes
    Desserts
    Brunch
    Homemade Pantry

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2023