Kid Craft: Beaded Necklaces

I wanted to have some fun crafts under my belt this summer for those super hot days when we’re just not leaving the house–which happens all too often in Texas. After seeing these supplies used in a different kids craft I decided to purchase some myself and came up with a fun and easy craft for girls. I’m sure boys would like it too! It’s simple, yet takes some time (read: keeps your kids occupied for a while). Supplies: Oven bake clay, craft paint, embroidery thread–twine or even dental floss can be used as well.

We started by just making lots of beads in different shapes. Many were round, but some were flat and lots of random shapes in between. You want your beads to be on the big side, so you have room to poke a rather large hole.

Once you have a good amount of beads you’ll take a large skewer and poke a hole through each one. This step is probably best done by an adult or older kid.

Put them on a baking sheet and follow instructions for baking. Ours only took about 15 minutes.

After the beads are baked and have cooled off it’s time to paint. You could even spread these two steps out over different days. I let the girls choose a few colors and then they got to work painting.

Notice the older one in a painting smock, the little stripped down to a diaper and a drop cloth to cover the floor–this paint isn’t washable!

Again this part took some time and it’s not a perfect process. Little hands (and toes) get messy and the paint often has to dry on one side before it’s ready to paint on the other side. Luckily we had some time and it kept the girls occupied for quite a while.

The girls then had fun stringing them up and making necklaces and bracelets.

Ta-da!

Thank you, thank you very much.