Making Jewellery - Fun to do with the kids
If you’re running out of ways to entertain the kids at this time, why not have a go at making some jewellery with them? It’s a great creative task, that could keep them entertained for hours, with a special piece of jewellery at the end of it. Here are some of the things you can try to do to make the best jewellery with things you have lying around the house, and some of the techniques professional jewellery makers like us at Hatton Jewels use to make your jewellery pieces stand out.
If you’re running out of ways to entertain the kids at this time, why not have a go at making some jewellery with them? It’s a great creative task, that could keep them entertained for hours, with a special piece of jewellery at the end of it. Here are some of the things you can try to do to make the best jewellery with things you have lying around the house, and some of the techniques professional jewellery makers like us at Hatton Jewels use to make your jewellery pieces stand out.
The Macaroni Necklace
Making macaroni necklaces is a great activity for kids of all ages. There are many ways to dye and color your pasta. You can use a method similar to dyeing Easter eggs, or you can use acrylic or tempera paint to paint each piece of pasta individually. Try using a fine tipped paint brush to add details like stripes or spots to your painted or dyed pasta. You’ll need to make a mixture of vinegar, water, and dye and soak the pasta to dye it. Once done just use some simple string to make a necklace or a bracelet.
The Jewellery Box
The best way to create an easy jewellery box is to use an empty egg carton which you can paint and decorate to your heart's content for the main box. You can also use a second carton to cut flower shapes to adorn the box. Inside, you can use a shiny mirror board or some foil wrapped around a square of scrap cardboard for the mirror, et voila! Add an optional smattering of glitter and you have one fine kids jewellery box.
The Beaded Necklace
If you want a more simple challenge, you could suggest making beaded necklaces. Beads come in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes so there should be something suitable for your own children. You can get soft string, flexible plastic or thin metal wire depending on what your kids need for their chosen project. If you want something that mummy could wear out in public, show your kids the long chains of beads that come in simple colour themes such as different shades of green.
Dangly Earrings
Older children and teens might prefer the idea of making dangly earrings; there are so many pieces that are suitable to design these at home. You’ll need jewellery pliers, wire, beads and the actual piece that goes through the ear. Making earrings allows your children to be creative though, and it is sure to keep them amused for hours!
Finally, once your kids have got the hang of using the pliers and bending wire, you might want to suggest they try making a charm bracelet. You can buy separate links to form a chain, or you can buy chains that are ready made but simply need a clasp attached to the end. In terms of the charms themselves, you’ll be able to find plenty of these on an online bead or craft shop, as well as those that are traditionally sold in jewellery shops.
We’d love to see your creations, so please do send us pictures on our social media channels!