Making bracelets in the summer are a quintessential camp activity! These wooden bracelets are the perfect way to craft at home while working on fine motor skills and exploring colors. All you need are some large wooden craft sticks, a little patience (who are we kidding, best to prep these in advance!) and a lot of creativity.
We made these bracelets on a summer afternoon while sitting on our cover pouch. The kids loved it. I prepared the wooden bracelet base in advance knowing that I wanted to do this activity one day but if I had been a bit more organized I would have gotten my little ones involved in the process. It is a bit like magic the way water can make the wooden bracelets bend and once they are dry keep their shape! I know my kids would have love the see the process first hand. But there is still time this summer and this activity was such a hit that I think we will be doing it again.
If you look on the wide web there are two methods for making wooden bracelets. I tried both methods and below is the way I found created the best bracelets. The best part is that this method is more child friendly so your kids can help at every step in the process.
Materials Need to Make Wooden Bracelets
How to Make Wooden Bracelets
- Grab a large mixing bowl and fill it with warm water. Decide how many bracelets you want to make and then add a few extra just in case (I will explain later on).
- Place the craft sticks in the water. Make sure they are fully submerged you may need to place a cup on top of them so that they sink. Allow them to sit and soak in the water for 2-3 hours.
- Once they have soaked remove them and test bend them. If they bend easily you are ready to start shaping them. If they don’t bend easily let them soak for 30 minutes more. If they are ready, take a small screwdriver and poke one hole at each end of the stick. It is best to poke the holes while the wooden it soft so that it doesn’t split and break later on when it’s dry. This is something we did not do hence the pictures shown here where I poked the hole after the fact and I lost a few as they split at the end while trying to create the holes.
- Bend the wooden craft sticks and then place each bracelet into a coffee mug. You can probably fit at least three in each mug by sliding them down to the bottom. Allow the bracelets to dry for at least 24 hours. You can see now why I did this before involving my kids. Its a lengthy process (easy but long) but in the end totally worth it!
- Once they are dry, it’s time to start decorating! Grab your colorful yarn or string. We also had some left over Embroidery Floss Thread that we used. Begin to wrap the yarn or thread around the wooden bracelet. Leave about 1/2 and inch at the end of the bracelet. This will be where we will attached the string to complete the bracelet.
Tie a knot at the start and wrap. Once they have completed a color invite them to choose another one. Tie the two ends together and start wrapping.
- Once they are done wrapping, cut off all the excess pieces of thread.
- Next thread another string through one hole in the bracelet and tie a knot. Place the bracelet on your child’s wrist and measure how small it needs to be. Thread the other end of the string through the other hole and knot it. Make the bracelet is large so they can slip it on and off but so that it doesn’t fall off. You can also add beads to the string to help keep it in place.
And you are done!! The coolest camp bracelet ever and ones that can be done with any age. If you have toddlers, let them stick stickers or glue colorful pieces of paper on the bracelets. Or they can decorate them with markers! There are so many possibilities!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
