I made this simple knight costume for Mr Z’s medieval themed day at school, but it will work for any occasion when you need a quick and easy costume or fancy dress solution. You could also adapt it for Halloween.
This easy knights costume requires:
- Long sleeved grey hooded top
- White over sized t-shirt or tunic
- Fabric pens. We used this brand of washable fabric pens (aff)
- A shield template, or draw free hand
- Any black or grey trousers
I bought the white t-shirt and grey hooded top from Next, and used fabric pens that we already had. I used washable fabric pens so the great thing is that after wearing the costume, you can wash the t-shirt and it’s back to a plain white t-shirt for every day use, or you can customise it again for another variation on the costume another day. The trousers were just a pair he already had in his wardrobe.
This costume is ideal for kids who won’t consider wearing any uncomfortable or scratchy costumes or anything too far out of their comfort zone, since its made out of normal every day clothes, and very comfy ones at that. If you have a child with sensory issues who won’t wear most costumes, this type of costume could be a great solution.
To make the t-shirt, we drew the shield free hand and coloured it. Next time, I wouldn’t go with the initial on the front as it gave it a bit more of a super-hero look than a traditional knight! (but that’s the good thing about the fabric pens being washable 🙂 )
If you want to use a template, I have three printable templates here that you can download. One plain outline for you to design the motif, one with a basic medieval design and one with a cross design. Download the PDF file with all three templates here
If you’re using these as a template to draw onto your t-shirt, place the print out inside the t-shirt so that the fabric of the front is directly on top of it. You should be able to easily see the outline through a white t-shirt to trace it with your fabric pens. You might want to place a piece of card or spare fabric behind the template to prevent any ink running through to the back of the t-shirt, depending on the type of fabric pens you’re using and how strong they are.
You can also use these print outs as activity sheets for kids, and let them colour and design their own knight’s shields.
For your accessories you could try this knight’s sword and shield from Red Ted Art. We have lots of play swords that we bought from visits to castles and ruins like Castle Acre Priory so those worked very well for us.
You might also like: World Book Day Costume Ideas
Don’t forget to pin this costume idea for later!
My idea was inspired by this easy knights costume from iVillage
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
This is awesome! Love how simple it is to make and the fun that could be had designing your own shield.
That’s brilliant – so simple to make and looks so effective! 🙂
Awesome! How simple it is to make. Brilliat thing to do!
It’s amazing what you can do and often the simplest ideas are the most effective. I’ll definitely be doing this when my son is older.
How cool, any kid would love this a great post 🙂 #WeekendblogHop
I love this! So simple, but I’d never have thought of it! I have pinned x
#weekendbloghop
I am SO going to remember this the next time Grace needs a costume for school. So simple yet so very effective. Thank you for linking to PoCoLo 🙂 x
Cool and easy! I love fabric pens as the possibility of use are endless! Thanks for sharing =) #pocolo
Great printable templates. We have made these too for the children here on the farm in activity hour. They really love love to inspire imaginative play. #TuesdayTutorials
Great idea. I did a medieval unit with my boys and we made something similar. I bought red felt and cut out a vest shape for them. We then cut out various shapes like a fleur de lis from yellow felt. Then, we used tacky glue to attach them. Worked really well and also easy! It’s always fun to dress up in character when learning about a specific time period. 🙂
This is such a fun idea Anna – love it!
#Pintorials
What a fantastic idea! I love the fact that children can get involved with making it.
Thank you for linking up with the #WeekendBlogHop
Laura
That is a great idea and I really like the fact your children can get involved helping make it. Thanks for linking up to #Playtime
I love that this costume is no sew. And it is adorable!
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
This is such a fun idea, I`m going to do it when my boy grows up.
What a brilliant costume and so easy! My boys would have loved it when they were smaller.
#outdoorplayparty
Great idea for a costume. He is certainly rocking it in that first photo 🙂 Thanks for sharing at the Outdoor Play Party
thanks a lot for sharing! i posted this here: https://fr.pinterest.com/lemondedis/chevaliersknights-parties-more/