Creative Arts Series: Friendship Bracelets
Making friendship bracelets is a fun and engaging activity that can help school-aged children develop a range of skills, including creativity, fine motor skills, and social skills.
As a professional nanny, you are probably often searching for activities that will engage older children, making friendship bracelets is a great activity for both boys and girls that has them concentrating hard and persevering! As a nanny you can play an important role in facilitating this learning experience. In this blog post, we will explore some tips and strategies that nannies can use when helping children to make friendship bracelets, as well as examining some of the benefits of this activity.
What are Friendship Bracelets?
Friendship bracelets are handcrafted bracelets made from colourful threads or yarns. They are typically made using a variety of knots and weaving techniques, and can be customised with different colours and patterns. They are often given as gifts to friends or family members as a symbol of love and friendship.
Tips and Strategies for Making Friendship Bracelets
Making friendship bracelets can be a simple and accessible activity for school-aged children, but it can also be complex and challenging. As a nanny, you can play a crucial role in guiding children through this process by providing support, encouragement, and opportunities for learning. Below are some tips and strategies that can help you facilitate this learning experience:
Choose appropriate materials
When introducing children to friendship bracelets, it’s important to choose appropriate materials that are safe and easy to handle. You can provide children with a variety of materials to choose from, such as embroidery cotton, yarn, or thread. You can also provide them with beads or charms to add to their bracelets.
Provide guidance and support
Making friendship bracelets can be a challenging activity, particularly for younger children who are still developing their fine motor skills. As a nanny, you can provide guidance and support to help children overcome obstacles and solve problems. Encourage children to work through challenges on their own, for example, untangling threads that have become knotted or stuck, but be prepared to offer guidance and support, or step in as needed.
Encourage creativity
Making friendship bracelets offers children a unique opportunity to use their creativity and imagination. You should always encourage children to experiment with different colours, patterns, and knots, and provide them with a variety of materials to choose from.
Gradually increase difficulty
As children become more comfortable with making friendship bracelets, you can gradually increase the difficulty of the activity. This can involve using more complex patterns, incorporating different types of knots, or adding beads or charms to the bracelets. By gradually increasing the difficulty of the activity, children can develop their skills and take on new challenges. There are plenty of guides or even videos available on the internet to help you!
Benefits of Making Friendship Bracelets
Making friendship bracelets can have numerous benefits for children’s development, both in the short term and the long term. Below are some of the key benefits of this activity:
Improves hand-eye coordination
Making friendship bracelets requires a combination of hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity. As children practise this skill, they develop better coordination and control, which can benefit them in many areas of their life, such as sports or handwriting.
Enhances fine motor skills
Making friendship bracelets requires children to use their fingers and thumbs to manipulate small objects. As they weave and knot the threads, they develop better fine motor control and coordination, which can benefit them in many areas of their life, such as writing or using utensils.
Promotes creativity
Making friendship bracelets offers children a unique opportunity to use their creativity and imagination. By designing their own bracelets and experimenting with different colours and patterns, children can develop their creativity and problem-solving abilities.
Fosters social skills
Making friendship bracelets can also foster social skills, such as cooperation, communication, and empathy. Children can work together to make bracelets for each other, or they can give their bracelets as gifts to friends or family members.
Making friendship bracelets is a fun and engaging activity that can help school-aged children develop a range of skills, including creativity, fine motor skills, and social skills.
It often engages pre-teens really well, and can provide an opportunity to work alongside children in this age range and have deeper conversations whilst you work. If you want to find out more about working with pre-teens and teenagers, check out our course, which looks at the unique challenges of this age range and how best to support the children you care for.
