Classroom Valentine’s Bracelets For Kids to Make

You know we adore Valentine’s Friendship Bracelets.. and we particularly love the Cardboard Disc Friendship Bracelet making method – it is so easy and looks so great! My kids have been making these for a couple of years now and we continue to keep coming back to them.

The Friendship Bracelets made with Cardboard discs method goes back to the Japanes tradition of Kumihimo. This complements our extensive set of Valentine’s Day Printables for Kids!

These friendship bracelets where first shared in Jan 2019

Kumihimo Bracelets come in lots of different patterns. We have the absolute most basic pattern here – which is also the EASIEST Kumihimo Bracelet to make with kids and in the classroom. However, if you want to get really clever, you can weave in heart patterns and everything… but I think that is better saved for when my daughter is a Teen and really wants to up her friendship bracelet making skills.

Find out how to make this pattern on tangibledaydreams

Valentine’s Friendship Bracelets – Materials

• Yarn in Valentine’s colours (or your friend’s favourite colours!)
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Printables & cardboard (optional)

I did create a printable for the gift sets too – they are in my Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s Store and only cost $3 for the Valentine’s templates, printable instructions, Valentine’s Printable Cards. Proceeds go towards the upkeep of this website! But you can make these friendship bracelets without the template!!

NOTE: you can of course making your own cardboard discs (instructions for these are on our original basic Kumihimo Bracelets post) AND you can encourage the kids to draw and decorate their own Valentine’s gift cards!

Valentine’s Friendship Bracelet Puns:

• Why KNOT be my Valentine’s?
• The class would KNOT be the same without you?
• Love me.. or love me KNOT?

How to make a Valentine’s Friendship Bracelet with Cardboard

Do watch our step by step video guide below – it is our original video – with “different” colours. Be sure to select Valentine’s colours for your Valentine’s Day Friendship Bracelets.

How to make your cardboard loom for friendship bracelets –

You can make your own Friendship Bracelet Template as per the following step by step instructions or get our Teachers Pay Teachers Printable (only $3 and almost pays for a nice cup of coffee for me this morning).

• Using a tin can or similar, cut out a cardboard circle
• Draw 4 lines across your kumihimo cardboard disc to create 8 equal segments. I found that if they are not exactly equal it isn’t really a problem. Just get it as neat as possible.
• Make a hole in the middle (big enough to thread all 7 pieces of yarn through, I use small scissors to push them through)
• Cut 1cm into each line you drawn – so you have approximately 1cm cut, 2 cm uncut and then the hole

Your DIY Kumihimo disc is ready to get crafty with!!

How to make kumihimo friendship bracelets using a cardboard loom –

 For this section refer to the video as it really makes it easier to understand.. however here are some written instructions.

• Take your seven strands of yarn and tie a knot at one end – now depending on how you finish off your bracelet, you may want to vary how you make this knot – see below for different options
• Thread your strands through the hole in the disc. I find using scissors to push them through really helps!
• Now you 7 strands dangling down. Take one strand at a time and slot it through one of the 1 cm strips.
• You should now have a disc that looks like the image below:

• 7 strands tucked in, with one “space slot”.
• Take the 3rd strand to the LEFT of the spare slot, lift it up, bring it down and put across the spares slot. This creates a new space.
• Rotate your disc for this to point down (you don’t have to rotate, but my kids find it easier) and now again, pick the strand 3 to the left and fold down.. repeat. Your yarn friendship bracelet will begin to “grow” on the other side of the disc, give it a gentle tug every so often.
• I do think the video above helps for this section!

How to secure your yarn friendship bracelets

• A simple knot. My son prefers this method. I basically “unknot” the knot you made at the beginning and the knot together beginning an end securely onto the wrist. These friendship bracelets are harder to remove!
• A loop and knot. Instead of using 7 strands, you can use 3 1m strands, fold them in half, creating a loop. Add the 7th strand and knot. This loop forms part of your closing mechanism.. either later tie the ends to this (which means you can make a shorter friendship bracelet), OR add a bead/ button to the end which can be pushed through the loop.
• Use 3 longer pieces of yarn (like in N2) thread a bead or button threw them and create a loop. Add the 7th strand and again knot. Then make proceed as above. Once your friendship bracelet is finished. Make two knots next to each other – wide apart enough for the bead/ button to fit between the knots.

Finally – grab your Valentine’s Gift Card Printables from my Teachers pay Teacher’s shop.. print on light card stock – make a hole and thread your friendship bracelets through! Or get the kids to draw and design their own gift cards!

Do check out our other Friendship Bracelet making ideas here too:

You can also watch the Friendship Bracelet video how to on YouTube: