Make a Personalized Growth Chart for Kids Using Recycled Denim

Make a personalized growth chart for kids that you can eventually turn into a family heirloom. This craft project includes instructions for a decorative tool that is used to track how tall a child grows up to five feet. Learn how to make a growth chart for kids using old denim jeans.

Materials needed to make a personalized growth chart for kids:
1 Pair of tall denim jeans
White school glue
1 Camera
1 Sheet of colored 12x18 inch felt
1 Velcro strip
1 Set of 4-8 count markers
1 12-inch ruler
1 Piece of yellow chalk
1 Piece of white chalk
Scissors
Double-sided tape
1 Baby photo

Instructions to make a personalized growth chart for kids:
Cut out one leg from the pair of jeans, starting below the back pocket. Cut this jean leg piece in half, providing you with a long denim rectangle shape. Fray the sides of your denim piece, soak it in cold water, rinse the fabric and then tumble dry it for one hour or longer. Write the name of the child being measured at the top of the dried denim piece using a marker. You can also use a combination of school glue and small pasta shells, gems or glitter to make the name label for this craft project. If this growth chart will be used for multiple kids, label it with a general name such as "The 123 Family Growth Chart".

Use the ruler to measure up to five feet on your piece of denim, marking each foot with the yellow chalk. The 5^th foot marking should start about 1-inch under the child's name and then continue downward until the 1^st foot marking. Repeat this step again to mark the inches between each foot using the white chalk. Draw a short line for each inch and one long line representing every foot on the left or right side of your personalized growth chart for kids using markers. There should still be space for photos next to these measurements once you have finished drawing the lines. You can use a different color marker for each line or designate one for inches and feet depending on your preference.

Remove the chalk markings using your finger or piece of cloth as you go prior to drawing the marker lines. Draw an outline for the number that represents each foot at the end of it's line marking using school glue. Allow these glue shapes to dry and then color inside the number lines using markers or fabric paint. Write the number that represents each inch next to it's line marking using your markers.

Cut out five circle shapes from your felt sheet using scissors. Attach one circle shape next to the number or each foot listed on your growth chart using glue and allow to dry. Attach a baby photo to the circle shape that represents 1 foot on your personalized growth chart for kids using double-sided tape. Take a photo of the kid when he grows 1 foot tall using a camera and then replace the baby photo with a print from your film or digital file. Hang the finished growth chart on a door or wall around the home using the velcro strip and use it as often as desired.