Decades
60s Costume Ideas for Kids
Tie-dye shirts, peace signs, and flower crowns — Hippie Day is one of the most colorful decade themes, and a peace sign necklace plus a headband is literally all you need to nail it.
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Hippie Day is the spirit week theme where parents can relax. The entire aesthetic is intentionally loose, colorful, and mismatched — which means there's no way to get it wrong. Tie-dye? Hippie. Flower crown? Hippie. Peace sign necklace over a plain t-shirt? Hippie. Your kid can throw together almost anything bright and flowy and it works.
The best part about this theme is the massive product overlap with Tie-Dye Day. If your school also does Tie-Dye Day during the year (and many do), the same shirt works for both. That makes this one of the most efficient spirit week investments: one tie-dye shirt handles two separate theme days.
The minimum viable Hippie Day outfit is absurdly cheap. A peace sign necklace and a fabric headband cost under $5 combined. Add them to literally any colorful outfit your kid already owns — floral prints, bright solids, patterns — and they're done. No full costume needed, no complicated assembly, no morning arguments about what to wear.
What to Wear
Start with a tie-dye shirt. If your kid has one from a camp, birthday party, or previous spirit week, pull it out. If not, pre-made tie-dye shirts for kids are widely available on Amazon for $8-15. Pair it with jeans, bell-bottom-style pants if you can find them, or any loose-fitting bottoms.
Layer on the accessories: a peace sign necklace is the single most recognizable hippie identifier and costs $2-4. A fabric headband worn across the forehead (not on top of the head — across the forehead, hippie-style) is the second essential. Round sunglasses in a John Lennon style add instant authenticity for $3-5.
Flower crowns are popular with all genders for this theme. Pre-made ones run $5-8, or you can make one from dollar-store fake flowers and floral wire in about ten minutes. They photograph beautifully and kids love wearing them.
For kids who don't want tie-dye, a floral-print shirt or a plain colorful shirt with a fringe vest works just as well. The fringe vest is a nice touch — kids' costume versions are available, or you can cut fringe into the bottom of an old t-shirt for a free DIY version.
The rule for Hippie Day: more color is better, and nothing has to match. That's the whole point.
Budget Breakdown
Under $10
A peace sign necklace ($2-4) and a fabric headband ($2-3) over any colorful shirt your kid owns. This is the cheapest decade costume by far and it looks great. Add round sunglasses from the dollar store if you want the full effect.
Under $25
A pre-made tie-dye t-shirt ($8-12) plus a hippie accessory kit that includes a peace sign necklace, headband, round sunglasses, and sometimes a flower crown. These kits run $8-12 and give you everything in one package. Total for a complete look: about $20.
Under $50
Full hippie costume set with tie-dye shirt, fringe vest, headband, peace sign jewelry, and round sunglasses. Or invest in a DIY tie-dye kit ($12-18) to make a custom shirt — it doubles as a fun weekend craft project and the shirt is truly one-of-a-kind.
DIY & Last-Minute Ideas
Tie-dye is the ultimate DIY hippie move. Rubber bands, fabric dye (or food coloring in a pinch), and a plain white t-shirt are all you need. Twist the shirt, wrap rubber bands around it, apply dye, let it sit in a plastic bag overnight, rinse, and dry. The result is always unique and always looks great.
Warning: real tie-dye is messy. Do it outside, wear gloves, and use old towels. If the timing is tight and you can't risk a dye disaster, a Sharpie tie-dye technique works: draw patterns with Sharpie markers on a white shirt, then drip rubbing alcohol on the marks to make the colors bleed and spread. Similar look, zero mess.
Make a headband from any strip of fabric — an old bandana, a cut-up t-shirt, or even a scarf. Tie it across the forehead and knot it at the back. Flower crowns can be made from pipe cleaners and dollar-store fake flowers — bend a pipe cleaner into a circle that fits the head, then twist flower stems around it.
Peace signs can be drawn on the face with face paint or eyeliner. Draw a peace sign on a piece of cardboard and hang it around the neck with yarn for a zero-cost necklace.
Pro Tips for Parents
- 1If your school does both Hippie Day and Tie-Dye Day, one tie-dye shirt covers both. Best two-for-one deal in spirit week shopping.
- 2The peace sign necklace is the single most effective hippie costume piece. At $2-4, it's the cheapest per-impact accessory across all spirit week themes.
- 3Headband placement matters: across the forehead, not on top of the head. The forehead headband is what makes it read as '60s hippie rather than just an exercise headband.
- 4Round sunglasses should be small circles, not big circles. The John Lennon look is tiny round lenses. Oversized round sunglasses look more 70s or modern boho.
- 5Hippie Day accessories are the most gender-neutral spirit week items you can buy. Peace signs, headbands, and tie-dye work for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between Hippie Day and Tie-Dye Day?
- Tie-Dye Day is just about the tie-dye pattern on clothing. Hippie Day is the broader 1960s peace-and-love aesthetic that includes tie-dye plus peace signs, headbands, flower crowns, and round sunglasses. A tie-dye shirt works for both, but Hippie Day invites more accessories.
- Do boys do Hippie Day?
- Absolutely. A tie-dye shirt, round sunglasses, and a peace sign necklace is a great boys' hippie outfit. Add a headband across the forehead and they're fully committed. The hippie look is inherently gender-neutral.
- My kid already has a tie-dye shirt from camp. Is that enough?
- That's perfect. Add a peace sign necklace from the dollar store and your kid is 100% spirit-week ready. The tie-dye shirt is doing most of the heavy lifting — any small accessory pushes it from 'colorful shirt' to 'Hippie Day costume.'
- Is Hippie Day appropriate for young kids?
- Yes — for elementary schoolers, Hippie Day is about bright colors, flowers, and peace signs. Kids love the flower crowns and colorful accessories. Keep it focused on the fun, artistic side of the era and it's great for all ages.
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