How to Make Friendship Bracelets with Your Kids

Learn simple techniques to create colorful friendship bracelets that kids of all ages can make and share with friends.

  1. Gather Your Materials. You'll need embroidery floss or yarn in 3-4 different colors, scissors, tape or a clipboard to hold your work, and a ruler. Choose colors your child loves or ask them to pick their friend's favorite colors. Cut 4 strands of floss, each about 60 inches long (that's roughly the length from your fingertips to your shoulder). This might seem long, but you'll fold each strand in half, and the extra length makes the bracelet easier to work with.
  2. Set Up Your Bracelet. Gather all four strands together and fold them in half. Tie a knot about 2 inches from the folded end, creating a small loop. This loop will be how you fasten the finished bracelet. Tape the loop to a table or clip it to a clipboard so your work stays steady. You should now have 8 strands hanging down from your knot, with 2 strands of each color.
  3. Learn the Basic Knot. Arrange your strands so you have the same colors next to each other. Take the leftmost strand and make a number 4 shape over the strand next to it. Pull the end of the first strand through the bottom of the 4 and pull up and to the right to tighten. Do this exact same knot again with the same two strands. You've just made your first complete friendship bracelet knot. The strand you started with has now moved one position to the right.
  4. Create the Pattern. Continue with the same leftmost strand, making the same double knot over each strand moving from left to right. When you reach the end, that strand will be on the far right. Now take the new leftmost strand and repeat the process. Keep going row by row, always starting with the leftmost strand. You'll start to see diagonal stripes forming as each color moves from left to right across your bracelet.
  5. Finish Your Bracelet. Keep knotting until your bracelet is long enough to fit around a wrist with a little extra room (about 6-7 inches for most kids). Tie all the strands together in a simple knot at the end, leaving about 2 inches of loose strands as a tassel. To wear the bracelet, thread the tassel end through the loop you made at the beginning and pull tight.