It’s definitely time for summer camp in all areas of the U.S. so I’ve decided to dedicate this week’s activity to summer camp bracelets. This way you can bring some of the camp experience to kids who can’t go to camp. And believe it or not, boys often get into this as much as girls, just have an area of color choices (they really like making them with the colors of their favorite sports team!) I’m hoping to do multiple bracelet tutorials but to start off, I’m going to teach a very simple one.
I personally love making bracelets, there’s something soothing about tying the knots, fairly similar to knitting, crocheting, sewing, and so forth. What’s cool about bracelets is that they don’t take up much room, so you can stick it in your pocket and bring it out whenever you want to do it, no tools needed (once it’s started that is, you do need scissors to cut the string first!) In a way it’s almost like meditation for some, and others make a wish on their bracelet as they create it with the thought that after it falls off a wrist or ankle, the wish comes true.
Because of the way this blog is formatted, I had to put the pictures last, so here is the “recipe” for the activity, and then the step-by-step instructions!
Spiral Friendship Bracelet Activity Notes
Age Group: 7 and up
Materials Needed: Different colored floss or string, tape, and scissors
Goals:
To allow a creative outlet
To start and finish a project
Therapeutic Value:
Achieve a feeling of accomplishment
Creativity
Meditation
Please note that this is a very basic spiral bracelet and you can do many different variations. I will show the basic knot and then give a few different ways to change it up a bit. The first knot is sometimes called a “forward knot” just in case you’re curious. The second knot to reverse the spiral is the forward knot but facing the other direction.
If you want to switch colors, follow the next few steps.