A few days ago, I packed up the kids and we went raspberry picking. It was a very hot day that made us all sweaty. Once we got home, it was time for Little J to take a nap (to which he happily obliged after he consumed a pound of raspberries in the hot summer sun). Miss O and I just wanted to sit inside and enjoy the air conditioning. 

I love finding simple activities and crafts for kids using dollar store items to keep my kids occupied and away from technology. Today was no exception. My last minute idea that I whipped up in no time was to have Miss O create a beaded wind chime. I knew I had all of the supplies in my craft room. I also knew it would be a relatively quick activity as she has a short attention span! The phrase “Hey, wanna do a craft?” always elicits a big YES! from Miss O, particularly when it involves painting or beads.

This is a great craft for honing fine motor skills in young kids. This is also a wonderful opportunity to let your school-aged child get creative! This is also great for either gender. Despite the fact that beading is typically a “girly” craft, you can simply alter the colours and sway your boys to participate as well.

What You’ll Need

• Plastic cup
• String or plastic lacing (5 x 6″ strands)
• Variety of beads – pony beads work best

How-To

Use a pointy object (such as the end of a pair of scissors or even a pen) to poke a small hole in the bottom of the cup and four evenly spaced holes about 1cm down from the edge of the cup. If you think your child is really going to enjoy this activity and has an excellent attention span, you can always change it to 6 strands! I knew my daughter, who only just turned 4, would get bored quickly despite how much she loves stringing beads.

Next, slide one end of each string through the four holes around the edge and knot them. I put the end through the hole, looped it around and tied it onto the rest of the string to ensure it wouldn’t fall through the hole. Have your child string a selection of beads onto each strand. Once each strand is complete, tie a knot in the ends. For extra security while it’s blowing in the wind, I tied a knot, then added a pony bead which I included in my next knot and then knotted one more time below the bead knot. I don’t want beads in my swimming pool in a wind storm!

Once they have completed the strands of beads, make a loop with the remaining string and push the two ends inside the cup from the hole you made in the bottom. Slide a pony bead over the two ends and tie a knot. 

Now take your child and their masterpiece outside for a bit of sunshine and hang up your wind chime! I’m not a fan of noisy wind chimes so I appreciated the virtual silence of this craft. If you like the sounds of chimes, you can add bells here and there onto the strings or else simply attach one to the end of each strand.