Here we are again with another SUPER FUN, INCREDIBLY SIMPLE YET ALSO REQUIRES A LITTLE PREP tie dye activity!!!!!

I loved these SO MUCH (obviously had too much coffee today, friends 😜), especially because we have them just in time for all of our summer outings. I mean, let’s pretend we’re going lots of places where a towel is necessary 😅 (thank you, COVID). No, but really, we WILL be using them when we head to the pools of our family members and some less busy beaches and parks!

I was incredibly nervous about putting dye in the hands of my tiny-s, but they were actually quite controlled (at ages 2, 4, & 5) which was a major shocker. I had them go one at a time so I could be super hands-on.

What You’ll Need:

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1. White towels! (Ours were cheap – less than $5 each – Mainstays brand from Wal-Mart in the “bath sheet” size). If you want to go up in quality, try THESE from Amazon. I highly recommend a 30″ x 60″ish size or bigger in order for it to be roomy!

2. Gloves (our tie dye kit came with gloves 🎉)

3. Spray bottles (got ours from Wal-Mart but you don’t need them that big! You can use these minis, too: Spray Bottles

4. Dye – we love the ease of use from our Tulip Tie Dye Kit!

5. Painters tape – THIS is what we had on hand but you’ll only need a tiny bit!

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Step 1: Add some personalization to your towel using the tape

We used painter’s tape to add our kids’ initials to the white towels. It was a little tricky to make the curved part of the letters. I wish I would have used scissors to help the letters be more precise.

Step 2: Mix the dye

You’ll want to follow the directions on the tie dye kit for how much water to add to the dye. In the kit I bought, there was a little bottle with powdered dye already in it, and I just simply added water up to the given line. Then I shook it up to mix the contents as instructed.

Step 3: Pour the dye into your spray bottle

Then I just poured the entire contents of the bottle I had just mixed into my spray bottle and secured the lid tightly

Step 4: Spray the towel with dye

There are many ways to apply tie dye, but because I wanted my kids to be involved, spraying the dye was my best option.

We headed outside in the grass for this adventure, because ain’t no way I’m putting a spray bottle of dye in my kids hands anywhere near my house. I don’t hate myself that much.

The cool part about using a spray bottle to apply dye (which I hadn’t done before today) is that you can twist the nozzle to spray in more of a stream OR a mist, which changed the way the color was applied, allowing for my girls to use their little personalities to create their own individual masterpieces.

Tip: Be sure to get a lot of color around the taped part, so that when you remove the tape, the personalization is easier to see!

Step 5: Let Dry

After spraying our towels, I let them dry overnight (in a bucket).

Step 6: Remove Painter’s Tape

Time to reveal that beautiful personalization!

Step 7: Rinse!

Directions on my tie dye kit said to rinse the dyed item until water runs clear, using water as warm as the item’s washing instructions allows! (You can follow the directions on your tie-dye kit for guidance)!

Warning: this took FOREVER with so much dye.

Warning #2: I highly recommend using a bathtub that drains well. (Side note: WHY does the bathtub in my girls’ bathtub never drain?!)

Step 8: Wash & Dry

Now throw the towels right into the washer and then dry per washing instructions.

Note: my directions said to wash the towels alone for several washes before washing with other items to avoid dye transfer.

And there you have it! 🎉

If you want to check out my other fab tie dye activities from the week, see these posts:

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