Stringing Beads

“I learned that you should feel when writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountain top, but like child stringing beads in kindergarten, – happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.”~Brenda Ueland

This is a handy little fine motor project to keep around for a rainy day. I’ve also been know to stash a little sack of beading stuff into my diaper bag for those inevitable restless restaurant moments. I don’t know about you, but my child has no interest in cafe crayons. None. We recently had lunch at a restaurant that gave out Wikki Stix intead of crayons, and those well-loved Wikkis are still floating around the back of my car. Kid-friendly restaurants, take note!!

Anyhoo, we started by stringing oversized beads when my daughter was 1 1/2, and around age 2 she was able to handle the smaller stuff. These little pieces are obviously not for kids who mouth small objects, but they work for us. Use your best judgement!

You need a bunch of beads and some plastic lacing, also called Gimp. If you were ever a Girl Scout or made lanyards, you know what I’m talking about. I found some fun sparkly stuff, along with the beads, at JoAnne Fabrics in the kids craft area. Make sure that your lacing will fit through the hole of your beads.

Tie a knot at one end of the lacing to stop the beads from sliding off, and then show your child how to poke the beads onto the lacing.

Once N got the hang of it, we extended this by stringing all beads of one color or one object. We also made a Fall Necklace line, which was completely scrapped before it ever made its way to the runway. See this site for a good example. This is how it works. After our trip to Mexico this summer, N got really into sea turtles. So, for two days she would ONLY string sea turtles and fish on the lacing, regardless of my gentle prompts. Now there’s a kid who knows her mind!

What have you and your kids made with beads?

More Art Projects for Toddlers

For more toddler art projects, you may enjoy the easy-to-set-up activities that use mainly everyday materials in 12 Simple Art Projects for Toddlers.

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