Making Jewelry with Kids
Check out our fabulous
Kids Jewelry Projects Page.
Making jewelry with kids is fun and easy. In addition to being a wonderful outlet for creativity, beading is also great for improving small motor control, working with patterns, counting, and measuring. (The pre-school teacher in me is coming out.) My daughter Caitlin (age 8) loves to come up with different patterns and since there is no wrong way to design jewelry, she takes great pride and joy in all her wonderful creations.
When making jewelry with kids you first want to consider the age of the child. This will determine what materials you should choose. Younger children (under the age of 7) will need larger beads with large holes so that they do not get frustrated when trying to string their jewelry. You may want to start out with inexpensive plastic beads, when making jewelry with younger children. Pony beads are great for this and come in every color under the sun. These are also good if you are creating bracelets for a kids party and you want to keep your cost down. You can also use 8mm to 10mm plastic beads, which are great for smaller fingers to handle.
The older child (over age 8) can handle a variety of bead sizes. My daughter likes to create her jewelry using 6mm glass beads with 4mm spacer beads. She also likes 6/0 seed beads which are about 3mm. We don't go much smaller than these.For our jewelry making projects we use the clear plastic elastic cord for our stringing material(usually .5mm or .8mm). You may want to use a beading needle with elastic cord, especially if you are using glass or freshwater pearls in your jewelry making designs. Make sure you follow the directions noted here on how to tie plastic or elastic cord. (I found out the hard way, many years ago, that a knot in plastic cord will very easily slide out no matter how many times you tie it!) The plastic beads, pony beads, beading needles, and stringing material can all be found at your local craft store and possibly at Wal-Mart. Some glass beads can be found at these stores, but they may not have the size or colors you might want. For a bigger variety in jewelry making supplies, you may want to order online. Check out our
links page
for a few of my favorite jewelry supply web sites.
To create a bracelet you will need: Beads Stringing material cut into 9 inch length Masking tape Containers or bowls to keep your beads in A beading board or paper plate ( or make your own beading board - see directions below) Scissors 1) Prepare your string. Cut cord into 9 inch lengths and put a piece of masking tape on the end to stop the beads from coming off. 2) Let the kids know that they will be designing their own piece of one of a kind jewelry. Let them know that there is no wrong way to create their design but to choose beads that they like. 3) Have them choose their beads and begin creating their pattern (or random design) on their bead board. They will need approximately 30 - 40 beads, depending on the size of the bead and the length of the bracelet. 4) Once they have their design finished, it’s time to start to stringing. 5) When they are finished stringing and happy with their bracelet, measure the bracelet around the child’ wrist to make sure it is long enough. (Once you tighten the knot it will be a little smaller than what it is at this point. )
Next . . . Put the string in your left hand over the string in your right and make another overhand knot. This should make a square knot. Slowly pull the cord until the ends of your bracelet meet. You may need to help slide the cord along a little. Last & Very Important . . . tie one more overhand knot and carefully give a few tight pulls. 7) Cut off the excess stinging cord. You’re done! A great way to stay organized when making jewelry with kids is to use a beading board. We made ours with a few simple items from around the house. All you need is dinner size paper plate(10 1/4 inch), a regular 8 5/8 inch paper plate and some glue or a hot glue gun. Simply glue the smaller plate into the middle of the larger one. If you want to get professional, use a measuring tape and mark off 7 inches with a marker on your plate. This will help you know when your bracelet is long enough.
HAPPY BEADING! Click
here
Learn how to make an Eco-Friendly Paper Bead Bracelet.
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There are a few things to keep in mind when creating jewelry with children. 
As you can see in the picture, we got really fancy with ours and cut a hole out of the middle to hold a plastic container for our beads. I’ll do anything to keep those beads for going all over my kitchen floor!
Featured Necklace
Upcoming Jewelry Workshops
Join me for one of my upcoming JEWELRY WORKSHOPS. Jewelry workshops are a great way to learn how to create beautiful jewelry without having to invest in the tools and supplies! I have a wide variety of beads from gemstones and Czech glass to acai seeds and polymer clay. Let your creativity soar!And if you can't make it to one of my workshops, I can always come to you. For more information go to my
jewelry workshops
page.
August 26th Workshop:
Balance Your Energy with Color!
With the ease of summer living coming to an end, now is a great time to balance your energy, and get ready for the hectic school year. Come join me for a Girls Night Out where we will take a fun COLOR QUIZ to find out what colors you need in your life to create balance and peace. Then create a beautiful bracelet to using those colors!
September 23rd Workshop:
Changing Seasons Earrings
Learn basic wire working techniques and create your own interchangeable silver earrings. In this workshop you will learn about different wires and wire gauges, how to create a P loop, eye loop and wire wrapped loop. You will then wire wrap your choice of 3 different color Czech glass leaf beads to add to your earrings. These beads can be changed out with the season. You will end up with enough beads to create 3 different pairs of earrings!