we hand out the same photocopy each year, with an outline of a chalice, a bunch of grapes, and a loaf of bread. One year they just cut the shapes out of construction paper and glued them to another white paper. one year they used oil cloth, gold foil for the chalice, felt etc. One year we found a deal on white placemats at wallyworld and cut the shapes out of craft foam. Now we just hand out the copy, and people get creative, spending big bucks at hobby lobby for real fake grapes, wheat stalks etc. one girl found a doll sized white communion dress. The only thing required is the child’s name, because it is used to mark the family’s reserved pew for the convenience of visiting relatives. I urgently request parents to allow the child to make the banner, but some parents can’t resist the creative urge.
I recommend you go to the dollar store, find a place mat or something similar, see what you can find in the party section for decorations, found some good things in the cake-decoration aisle. Or find something on the internet from a catolog of religious articles, print the picture and use that. Or use a felt square, find a pretty communion card from hallmark and use that in the center, then find sticky letters for the child’s name and the date. Does your child have a religious coloring book or a picture from the textbook that could be copied and colored, and glued to a piece of craft foam. Please let the child have hand in making this souvenir.
--KCT