PRACTICAL PARENTING â—½ HOME
Ironing on Patches
by Marcy Lytle
We had the kids over one evening and 10 year old Ayla brought a Christmas gift with her that filled the evening! Her 8 year old brother watched and then he wanted to do the same, which he did later when he got home. So this is a very fun idea for your kids, if they’re of the age where you can supervise them as they create…and boy is it fun! I hadn’t ironed on patches in decades! This would be a great spring break activity…or summer…or fun at birthday party!
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The equipment (all from Amazon):
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Patches
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Ironing pad
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A jean jacket or a duffle bag or jeans, or something on which to iron the patches.
Amazon has so many cute patches. Ayla was able to find a big bunch she liked with little characters and flowers and animals, etc. Then Augie found his own bunch he liked…and they both got letter iron-ons as well.
It was so fun picking where to place the patches. Ayla tried different placements before actually doing the ironing. We had a discussion about the iron, and I sat right by her when she used it. You do need to help the kids, for sure, because the iron is hot.
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The heating pad is a must as it sets underneath the fabric to give it cushion and to help the ironing process go smoothly.
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Ayla picked a jean jacket and her dance class bag, so she chose different “themes” for each. Augie had a jacket he picked later and wore it out to eat when the family met for dinner.
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We worked on the floor, where we had plenty of space to spread out all the patches and the items.
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The best thing is it only takes 30 seconds to press the patch in place – totally doable for kids (and impatient parents!)
The kids felt so proud of their work and I was amazed at how well everything adhered and looked. We reminded the kids to wash their items inside out to keep the patches from catching on other items in the wash.
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It was a success, it took a while to do, it was fun, and it was creative. What more could parents want with a family activity on a Friday night?