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What are Personalized Placemats?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Personalized placemats are a fun way to dress up the dining table, and may especially appeal to kids. As the name suggests, these placemats tend to be personalized with the name of each diner. Such mats can also contain many other design or decorative elements and may be made in a variety of materials.

There are many Internet stores that can quickly make personalized placemats for kids. They may have placemats with plenty of designs, and parents or friends of kids need only order printing of the child’s name. These placemats can be made out of laminated paper, fabrics like cotton, or they may be thick rubberized material. Personalized placemats may become beloved features of dining for kids, and an attractive placemat might encourage the picky eater to stay at the dinner table for a slightly longer time.

Children sometimes use construction paper to create colorful placemats.
Children sometimes use construction paper to create colorful placemats.

The numerous patterns and types offer kids plenty of choice, though availability of design may vary by vendor. Some patterns are geared toward the pre-school set and may include things like cute animals, primary trains or cars, or they can feature things like letters and numbers to reinforce learning of these concepts. Older kids may prefer slightly more sophisticated placemats and there are things like florals, animal prints or elaborate photos and prints.

Many people prefer placemats that are even more personalized. Parents and kids can make their own placemats out of things like construction paper, or even fabric mats. These can include much more than names and drawings. Pictures of the family can be glued onto paper to create personalized placemats, and these can then be laminated by hand or at local copy shops to make them semi-permanent.

With fabric mats, kids can use special fabric pens or paints to create their own designs. This may be a cheaper alternative if people would like to create unique mats for large family gatherings or gatherings of guests. The cost of personalized placemats ordered from the Internet or local stationary stores can be somewhat high. On the other hand, fabric mats can be cheaply purchased and decorated as part of a family project. Those skilled in embroidery or cross-stitch can stitch name in mats too.

Other types of personalized placemats, which are more intended for adults, are monogrammed ones. These may be made in high quality fabrics and can sometimes be sold with coordinating cloth napkins. Monogrammed mats may be a desired gift for newly married couples or for those celebrating years of marriage.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

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    • Children sometimes use construction paper to create colorful placemats.
      By: eden04
      Children sometimes use construction paper to create colorful placemats.