DIY Kid’s Superhero Name Sign

When we decided to bunk our two older kids together in one room I was excited to create a brother/sister superhero lair. We’re very lucky our daughter is into superheroes so the theme was an easy sell.

I looked for cool name signs for my son but couldn’t quite find what I wanted. Then a good friend suggested I make my own. The result was an awesome sign that cost me under $5 and was so easy I wanted to share it with you!

You too can make a sign like this if you can operate a scissor and write in bubble letters (and let’s admit it – all any mom wants to do is write in bubble letters)!

All materials listed were purchased at a dollar store but you most likely have many already in your home.

Materials you will need:

Thick foam poster board

A calendar (superhero, or any other character your kids like)

Mod Podge

A thick paint brush

Paint (I used Crayola Project, Project Paint)

Glue (I used Elmer’s glue)

A ruler

A scissor

A pencil

Newspaper

Step 1:

Go through the calendar and pick as many pages as letters in your child’s name. Evan has four letters, I used four pages.

Step 2:

Decide how large you want each letter to be and cut out a square or rectangle on each page the same size. I made sure my rectangle was large enough to capture the face and main features of each super hero.

Step 3:

Draw each bubble letter on the paper (either free hand or with a ruler) using a pencil. If you draw on the back of the page remember to make the letter backwards so when you flip it it’s the correct direction.

Step 4:

Get your thick foam poster board (wood would work great too but that seemed too involved), arrange your squares/rectangles on the board for sizing, remove them, and then cut the board to the desired size.

Step 5:

Cover your workspace in newspaper. With your thick paint brush paint the foam poster board using sweeping stokes all in the same direction. Use long strokes so it looks uniform. Since your surface is covered with the newspaper you can sweep from side to side easily passing the board’s edges. Remember messy brush strokes may show up when the paint dries so you want to make them clean. Set aside to dry.  Wash the paint brush thoroughly.

Optional Step 5a:

Add a second coat of paint using the same method above.  Set aside again to dry. Wash the paint brush thoroughly.

Step 6:

While the poster board is drying, cut out your bubble letters.

Step 7:

Once the poster board is 100% dry, glue your bubble letters onto your poster board – making sure to spread the glue evenly from the inside out and wiping away any excess glue. I found it helpful to put all the letters on the board first and glue them one by one to keep spacing even. Set aside to dry.

Step 8:

Once the glue is 100% dry, cover the entire thing in Mod Podge – again using long sweeping strokes in all the same direction until completely covered. Since the glue is 100% dry and you spread it evenly, the letters should be completely flush up against the poster board. The Mod Podge will be white but it dries completely clear. Set aside to dry. Repeat once the poster board is 100% dry.

Step 9:

Step back and admire your kick ass work! You can now hang it up or frame it. Because it is poster board I was able to just shove it between two other paintings in the “wall gallery” we created.

Caution: Your child will most likely think you’re the coolest parent ever.

They may also tell you every time they look at the sign that they like Spiderman too and ask why didn’t use that page. But you can just ignore them, pat them on the head, and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Happy Crafting!