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How to Make a Shield for Kids

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Shield with foam sword. The shield is made from fabric and stuffing so it's nice and soft for kids.

How to make a shield for kids that is soft and can double as a pillow. These fantastic shields, paired with a foam sword, will save your furniture and hopefully prevent injuries.

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Planning to go to Renaissance Festival with our son for the first time, I decided to whip up a quick costume for him, including this awesome pillow shield.

Supplies

  • Stuffing
  • Fabric
  • Either a patch for the front, a Cricut/Silhouette HTV decal, hand embroidery, or machine embroidery
  • Sewing machine and supplies

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How to Make a Play Shield

While I like toy shields made with metal or cardboard, my son is not even two years old and it will be some time before he’s got the restraint and social skills to completely understand the difference between play fighting and fighting.

Soft items are good… and this shield should protect me/him, depending on who grabs it to defend themselves. Haha, it might be me.   

I made my pattern for the shield, cut out two pieces of fabric that matched the tunic, embroidered the front piece…

Shield pieces made from fabric.

I made the straps, turned and top stitched them. Then I stitched them onto the back of the shield. You could make them horizontal or vertical, it’s a personal preference thing.

Straps for the handle to the shield.
Adding straps to the back fabric piece.

Sewed the back and front fabrics, right sides together, and left a small opening to add the fluff. Turned. Added the fluff and sewed up the hole. I think there’s fancy stitches you can use to do this, but I didn’t bother. I might seam rip later to fix it once I find a good tutorial on how to stitch it closed, but I just didn’t have the time or patience today.

Sewing pieces for the shield right sides together.
Shield made from fabric. turned right sides out with a gap left to stuff it.
Stuffing the shield.

Here’s the back of my finished product, along with the sword. Yay!  

Back of the fabric shield, paired with a foam sword.

Make sure to check out the other posts I wrote about making this full costume: Knight’s Tunic and Toy Swords

This Captain America pillow shield is a lot of fun too. Or, if you prefer to live dangerously, make a wood shield.

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