Making Beads

Making beads can be a fun project to do with your kids. Here I am including a craft recipe for the very young children- two to five years of age.

This recipe was given by my friend Cody years ago and I have used it when our daughters were preschoolers.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup corn starch

1 cup Elmer glue.

Mix flour and starch. Then add glue. Knead for about ten minutes or so , so that it becomes smooth. Give your little one a portion to knead too. This exercise will help her small muscle development which is a pre-requisite for writing and also she'll enjoy the tactile stimulation.

Now make whatever shapes you like. Some suggestions: cylindrical beads, spherical beads like balls; cubes, and many other shapes.

With a tooth pick, knitting needle or wooden bar-b-que skewer make a hole in each bead. Let it dry overnight.

In the mean time cut some yarns 20 - 24 inches in length. Brush Elmer glue on one end so that it gets stiff when dried and act as a needle. Let the yarns dry overnight too.

When the beads are dried you may paint them with non toxic paints or make designs with marker pens.

At the end you may want to spray a coat of varnish to make it look shiny and long lasting. Next morning make some necklaces together.

You may want to use more sophisticated art materials especially with your older children. In that case try the polymer clay or sculpy or other such readily available products in the market. Make sure that they are non toxic and if so how to use them safely.

After Making Beads you may want to try the bead stair or for more options please return to the Home page.