Easy Weaving And Braiding Activities For Kids And Teens
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If you're looking for a craft activity that requires barely any materials and can be enjoyed by both parents and kids, weaving and braiding could be for you!
Whether it's creating simple braided designs or learning to use yarn to make fabulous wall hangings, braiding is a great life skill, and is perfect for making beautiful gifts, designs and pieces of art! This list of easy braiding and weaving ideas is designed to suit all skill levels and can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.
All you need is some simple yarn and you're ready to go!
Simple Braiding Guide For Kids
Suitable For: Ages 3+
First of all, let's learn how to braid! Before we continue with more complex crafts, it's a great idea to get the basics down, so you can go on to make anything you like! All you need for this easy braid is three pieces of yarn or string (approximately 25cm in length), some tape, and a surface.
How To Make A Basic Braid: First of all, take your three pieces of thread and hold the ends together. Take a piece of tape, and secure the yarn to a flat surface, such as a table.
You should have the lengths of the thread facing you, with these ends loose. Pick up the left and centre threads. Place the left thread over the centre.
Now, take the right thread, and place it over the new centre thread. The right piece should now be in the centre. Now take the left piece, and place it over the centre.
Repeat this pattern of left, right, left, right, until you reach the end of your thread. Tie into a knot and you have a braid!
Hair Braiding
Suitable For: Ages 5+
Once you've got the hang of the basic braiding technique above, it is really easy to apply to make a hair braid. You just need two hair ties, a brush and your hands!
How To Braid Hair: First, brush through the hair and make sure it is all detangled. Now, tie the hair into a ponytail at the back of the head.
Divide the hair into three sections, and cross the pieces over each other as you did in the activity above, making sure not to drop any pieces of hair and keep the tension (without pulling too hard on the head!).
Once you reach the end, secure with a hair tie about 2cm from the ends of the hair and there you have it! A perfect braid.
Top Tip: This technique can also be used without tying the hair in a ponytail first, if you would like a looser, more relaxed look.
Friendship Bracelets
Suitable For: Ages 5+
Once you've caught the braiding bug, there are endless possibilities as to what you can make. These fun, colourful friendship bracelets look amazing, are easy to make, and kids will love creating new colour combinations and giving these to friends and family!
Cardboard Circle Weaving
Suitable For: Ages 5+
For this super easy weaving activity, you just need some cardboard, scissors and yarn to make beautiful hand-woven circle designs.
How To Make A Woven Circle: First, cut a circle out of cardboard, roughly 15-20cm across. Next, around the outside of your cardboard circle, make 17 cuts at regular intervals, approximately 1cm deep.
Now, take the end of your yarn and tape it to the back of the cardboard. Bring it back around to the front, through one of the slots, and pull it across the front of the circle to the opposite slot.
Repeat this with the next slot along, and continue until all the slots have yarn in them. Cut your yarn and tape the end to the back of the circle.
Now, you can start weaving! Tie a yarn of your choice to the centre of your circle, and begin weaving it around the circle in an over-under-over pattern.
Switch up your yarns, and include beads, pom-poms and anything else you like. Continue until you reach the outer edge of the cardboard, and your circle is complete!
Check out Hello Wonderful for the full activity.
Knitting
Suitable For: Ages 7+
One of the most well-recognised weaving activities, knitting isn't just for adults! Kids can have a great time learning how to make all kinds of things using just some knitting needles and wool.
Imagination Soup has some great instructions for casting on, casting off and creating an easy knit stitch. Not only is knitting lots of fun, it is also an effective way to help kids develop their attention span, as they have to concentrate on always keeping their two hands engaged.
Top Tips For Knitting With Kids:
-Working with thicker needles and thread makes it much easier to see what you are doing, and your knitting project will also progress a lot faster.
-Not sure what project to start? A really simple idea is to make a basic scarf - all you need to do is cast on, and continue knitting until the scarf is at your desired length. From here, you can add fringe, pom poms, or anything else you'd like to finish off your design!
-Try using colourful, contrasting yarns that you can switch up, to keep the activity interesting.
-Don't worry about mistakes! It's all part of the process, and there are lots of ways you can repair a hole in the knitting. Adding beads, small mirrors or fixing the stitch are all great options that will add lots of personality to your project.
Crochet For Kids
Suitable For: Ages 7+
Just like knitting, crochet is a common technique of weaving nowadays. However, unlike knitting, crochet only uses one needle, called a crochet hook, and has a whole host of new possibilities for homemade creations.
This tutorial, made by and for kids, guides you through the techniques of starting a simple crochet project, with lots of tips and tricks along the way.
Top Tips For Knitting With Kids:
-Just like with knitting, using a larger and thicker crochet hook and yarn will make it much easier for kids to follow what they're doing, which is especially useful for new crochet-ers!
-One of the great things about crochet is that, unlike knitting, if you make a mistake you can repair it with relative ease. All you need to do is remove your needle from the slip knot, and pull the thread.
Undo the project until you have undone your mistake, and you can pop your needle through the knot again and start over from that point.
-At first, try crocheting just little squares - this is a good way to get started, and once you've gained some confidence, you can make as many as you like and crochet them all together to create something completely new!
DIY Pom-Poms!
Suitable For: Ages 5+
Who doesn't love a good pom-pom? This super easy craft makes a wonderful accessory to add to any weaving project, and they're great to keep in the craft box for a rainy day.
Try adding them to cushions, scarves, or you could even make this adorable pom-pom turtle buddy! For an easy guide of how to get started making your very own, check The Spruce Crafts for ultra fluffy colourful pom poms!
If you liked this article, then take a look at our ideas for easy sewing projects for kids and easy ways to make a tutu at home.
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Diploma of Education, Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts specializing in Illustration and Visual media
Sarah HallamDiploma of Education, Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts specializing in Illustration and Visual media
With a Diploma in Education specializing in Fine Arts (Painting) and a Bachelor of Arts specializing in Illustration and Visual media from the University of Arts London, Sarah previously was a London-based teacher who brought her passion for art and culture to the classroom. Her creative endeavors include painting classes and experimenting with new recipes. She draws inspiration from the world around her and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others while sipping a cup of tea.
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