Yeah for beads!  I had the opportunity to share my love for creating pretty things with a group of 12 girls last week.  It didn’t take much explaining…. they knew just what to do and each had their own style.


Supplies

  • Memory Wire Bracelet (available at craft stores)
  • Bead assortment (ages 5+ love to be trusted with glass beads and pearls).  I’ve liked working with this Etsy company.
  • Needle nose pliers (check your tool box)
  • Paper plates and bowls


Notes:  I like to use Memory Wire because you don’t extra glue or clasps to keep it together.  The bracelet size is nice for young girls.  If they have really tiny wrists though, it may fall off.

a finished bracelet!

Prep:

  1. Purchase beads and wire.
  2. Make a practice bracelet to see just about how many beads you need.
  3. Even though the Memory Wire comes precut, I usually cut it even smaller (2 loops).  The activity lasted about 45 minutes, which was perfect.  If you have more beads, more time, and more patience, keep the wire long.
  4. Use your needle nose pliers to turn the end of the memory wire into a little loop.  You can see the end of the bracelet in the photo at the top.
  5. Sort your beads into bowls by color.

Kid Directions (what I basically said to the kids)
  1. We’re making bracelets today!  
  2. We have a large selection of beads for you to choose from.
  3. You can make any pattern you’d like, organize it by color or shape, or just choose your favorite beads.
  4. Here is a sample of one you can make (show them).
  5. The memory wire works like a big slinky.  You need to push your bead all the way to the end.
  6. First, choose 10 favorite beads and put them on your plate.
  7. Then, you’ll move to the floor/table to get started.  You can keep going back to get more beads until your bracelet is full. 
  8. When you’re done bring it to me.  *At this point, you need to curve the end to close it off.


This was a great activity for a party!  Thanks for having me come!

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Kristen is the blogger behind Busy Kids = Happy Mom, a site dedicated to fun, practical, and purposeful activities to do with your kids.  She also runs Kristen Elise Designs. Follow Kristen on Facebook, Pinterest, and Busy Kids = Happy Mom.

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