Do you have little girls (or boys!) who love to make and wear jewelry? Do your children enjoy stringing beads? Then this craft is for you! My girls had a great time making these friendship bracelets and then giving them away to family and friends. The best thing? They’re so cheap!
I have to share about the straws we used for these. I bought them at the dollar store about a year ago. They were cheap, but I figured, straws are straws, who cares? Well, evidently, not all straws are created equal. Apparently these straws were not. Every time you stretch out the little bendy part, it gets a hole in it! Well, since drinking from these straws didn’t work, I figured they’d be perfect for this craft project!
How to Make Friendship Bracelets
Preparation time: None
Project time: ~30 minutes (more or less depending on how many straws and pipe cleaners you have available.)
Project cost: $ Low
Parental involvement: Low
Inspiration: Friendship Bracelets at Kidlutions
Supplies:
- Straws (Eight straws makes about six bracelets)
- Pipe cleaners
- Scissors
Preparation instructions:
- None! Although if your child hasn’t used scissors or isn’t good with them, you may want to cut the straws for them. This only takes a few minutes.
Step by step instructions:
- Have your child cut straws into equal sized pieces about 1/2 inch long. These don’t have to be exact, just have them aim for pieces that are kind of the same.
- Let your child string the straw pieces onto pipe cleaner. If your child is losing “beads” off the opposite end, just bend that end for them.
- When the pipe cleaner is full, bend the ends together to form a bracelet.
Honestly, I love this project. H was thrilled with it. She loves cutting, making things, and giving gifts, so this project was perfect and kept her attention for a long time. For M, I cut the straws for her, but she made six bracelets. That’s pretty amazing for her since her attention span is super short!
If you decide to do this project, be sure to come back and tell me about it! Take pictures and share them on my Facebook sharing post! I’d love to see what you and your little ones are making together!
This post is part of my 31 Days of Easy Crafts for Kids series. Be sure to check out the rest of the crafts I’m doing this month!
Great idea! My daughter (6) found out about the rainbow loom this past summer from her older cousin, so jewelry making has been happening quite a bit for the past several months. My son (4) is also into it, and loves making jewelry for mama 🙂 They use their fingers instead of a loom, but it seems to work well! Can’t wait to see what else you have planned this month!