MAKE YOUR OWN GROWTH CHART

Make An A“door”able Growth Chart

They all told you it would happen. And it’s true. Your sweet pea in a pod is growing faster than Jack’s beanstalk. Sadly, we can’t stop them from growing. But you can capture the milestones with a growth chart, which will let you and your child watch in awe as they grow in leaps and bounds. And we have an idea for a growth chart that not only allows your own creativity to shine but also lets you capture more than just your child’s height line.

· Paint a growth chart on your child’s door or door frame. Use a yardstick to outline a vertical straight line and horizontal height measurements. Make sure to start at 20 inches – just under the average height of a 6 month old – and allow for up to 60 inches in height to take them to 6 years old, when they’ll be ready for a room décor change.

· Find ways to use your child’s hand prints, foot prints and finger prints in the mural. Their hands and feet will change sizes, too, and you can record their changing imprints in fun and colorful ways. For example, design a fire truck scene for your son and use finger prints in blue paint as water spurting out of a hose. Or, make your growth chart in the design of a tree and use handprints as leaves, finger prints as ladybugs and footprints as butterflies. Each time you measure your child’s height, add a new decorative accent with that day’s date. In the end, you’ll have a beautiful mural that captures baby’s changes.

· Use stencils and wall décor appliqués, available at craft stores, to design the growth chart and its decorative accents. You don’t have to be an artist to be creative.

· Add dimension and appeal through textured paints, glow-in-the-dark paints, raised appliqués, glitter and photos of baby as the faces on your mural’s characters.

· If you want to keep your growth chart for years to come, visit an art store and get a durable piece of foam core or heavy duty art construction paper that you can mount semi-permanently on the door.

· To make sure you don’t miss out on any of your child’s growth spurts, be sure to take the time each month to make updates.