If you are planning to hold a fabric painting session for a group of children, then you will need to invest in a set of fabric pens in a range of colours. Depending on how many children will be included in the group, you may need to buy a few packs to ensure that you have enough of each colour to go around. There a few different fabric pens for you to choose from and you have a choice of paint, ink and even metallic or glittery fabric pens!

Some of the easiest to use fabric pens are very similar to felt-tipped pens that you would use on paper and card. They contain permanent ink in a variety of colours, which you can apply just as you would draw or write on paper with a felt-tipped pen. These inks need to be permanently fixed onto the fabric by ironing, and they are then washable up to 40 degrees. This makes them suitable for decorating items of clothing or accessories that will need to be washed, such as t-shirts, hats and bags.

It is possible to find similar fabric pens which contain fabric paint rather than ink. The paint tends to be water based and should be easy to fix onto the fabric permanently by ironing. Paint filled fabric pens are available in a wide range of colours, and they can also be found in metallic and glittery varieties if you want to add an extra sparkle to craft projects! Pens which include glitter may not dry flat like ink and some paints will; you will achieve a 3D raised effect. This may not work on t-shirts of items which need to flexible, so for these items permanent ink may be more appropriate.

When you are planning your craft session for a group of children, it is also worth thinking about extra ways to decorate fabric items. Once they have applied their basic design with fabric pens, they could decorate further with gems or sequins, or perhaps even swatches of other fabrics or felt. This will require a strong multipurpose glue, or a specialised fabric glue.

There are lots of fabric items that you can choose from for children to decorate and personalise. You may wish make craft activities seasonal by getting children to decorate their own peaked caps during the summer and Christmas stockings during the winter. There are also many fabric crafts which can be enjoyed all year round, such as creating designs on plain cuddly toys, drawstring backpacks, purses, rag dolls, juggling balls, and lots more! Most plain fabric items for decoration are available in multipacks, which may be perfect if you have a small group of children to provide craft materials for. If you have a larger group, you may need to buy a few packs to ensure that you have enough for each child to decorate. Buying a good range of paints and pens in different colours and finishes will give children lots of options to choose from, and will leave you with plenty left over for future craft sessions.