The best bracelet making kits for kids
Friendship bracelets, name bracelets and stacks of clay beads: five kits compared on how many beads come in the box, whether there are letters, and what they make.
Bracelet kits come in two sizes. Small activity packs such as Galt’s hold a couple of hundred beads with cord and a guide, enough for an afternoon; the big boxes hold thousands of flat clay heishi beads sorted by colour, with letters for names and charms to hang from them. The name heishi comes from the Kewa (Santo Domingo) Pueblo of New Mexico, whose word it is for shell beads.
Threading tiny beads is the fiddly part for younger children, which is where Spin Master’s Cool Maker studio comes in: a pen picks the beads up and the studio clasps the finished bracelet on. Every kit here is full of small parts, so keep them away from babies and toddlers: Galt and Spin Master both mark theirs not suitable for children under 36 months.
What matters
- Size: a small pack for a first go, or thousands of clay beads in sorted boxes.
- Letter beads, for names and friendship words.
- Threading: elastic and tweezers, or a beading pen for small hands.
- Age: the maker’s guide, and small parts kept well away from under-3s.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Galt Sparkle Jewellery Activity Pack
£6.99 RRP
Galt’s slim activity pack holds 185 beads, among them hearts, stars and picture beads, with holographic stickers, silky cord and elastic, so it makes necklaces as well as bracelets. An easy first go at beading before moving on to a big box of clay beads.
What owners say: Owners find the beads easy to thread onto the cord and say the pack holds a child’s attention for a good long session.
A closer look: Galt recommends it from 8 years, and the flat pack slips into a drawer ready for the next rainy afternoon. Tip the beads into a shallow bowl before starting so they don’t roll off the table, and cut the elastic a little longer than the wrist needs to leave enough spare for a secure knot.
- 185 beads, 25 of them picture beads
- Heart and star beads
- Holographic stickers
- Silky cord and elastic
- Ages 8 and up
Best for: A first go at beading
- Beads
- 185, incl. 25 picture beads
- Letter beads
- No
- What it makes (maker’s)
- Necklaces and bracelets
#2 of 5
Most colours
Dazhqp Clay Bead Bracelet Kit (20,000 pieces)
£10–£20 Price range
Four boxes of flat clay heishi beads in 96 colours, from pastels to deep shades, plus an accessory box of letters, numbers, smiley faces, shells and gold-tone charms. Two 10m reels of clear elastic, tweezers and scissors come with it, so nothing else is needed to start.
What owners say: Owners love the sheer spread of colours and the mix of beads and charms, and say it keeps children happily making for hours.
A closer look: Pick out a small palette of colours before stringing a pattern, and snap each box shut afterwards so thousands of tiny discs stay off the floor. The letters turn into name bracelets and matching sets for friends, and there are enough beads for a whole sleepover of bracelet makers.
- About 20,000 pieces
- Clay beads in 96 colours
- Letter and number beads
- Gold and silver charms
- 2 × 10m clear elastic, tweezers, scissors
Best for: The biggest choice of colours
- Beads
- About 20,000, 96 colours
- Letter beads
- Letters and numbers
- What it makes (maker’s)
- Bracelets, necklaces, earrings
#3 of 5
Best value
Fournine Clay Bead Bracelet Kit (5,300 pieces)
Under £10 Price range
About 4,700 flat clay beads in 18 colours and more than 500 charms and spacers, including six full A–Z letter sets with extra vowels, all in one compartment box with a 10m reel of stretchy string and tweezers. Plenty of letters for a run of name bracelets.
What owners say: Owners praise the bright range of colours and the variety of bead shapes, and find there’s enough for a big batch of bracelets.
A closer look: The tweezers help small fingers pick up single discs, and threading straight from the box compartments keeps the colours from getting mixed. Finish each bracelet with a double knot pulled tight and slide a bead over it so it doesn’t show. It’s listed for ages 6 and up.
- About 4,700 clay beads, 18 colours
- 500+ charms and spacers
- 6 full A–Z sets plus extra vowels
- 10m stretchy string and tweezers
- Storage box
Best for: Name bracelets for less
- Beads
- About 4,700 clay + 500 charms
- Letter beads
- 6 A–Z sets
- What it makes (maker’s)
- Bracelets, necklaces, keyrings
#4 of 5
Most letter beads
Lynnmos Clay Bead Bracelet Kit (8,000 pieces, 2 boxes)
£10–£20 Price range
Twelve complete A–Z alphabets, so a whole group can spell out names and friendship words without running out of letters, alongside 8,000 clay heishi beads in 24 colours and a mix of charms, all in two boxes.
What owners say: Owners like the choice of shades and the different shapes and sizes of bead, and say the making itself is great fun.
Heads up: Lynnmos doesn’t list any stretch cord in the box, so have a reel of clear elastic ready for the first session.
A closer look: Twelve alphabets go a long way at a party or sleepover, where everyone wants their own name at once. Keep the letters in their compartments between sessions and sort the colours back after each project, so the next bracelet starts from a tidy box.
- 8,000 clay heishi beads
- 24 colours
- 12 complete A–Z letter sets
- Charms
- Two boxes
Best for: Names and friendship words
- Beads
- 8,000 clay, 24 colours
- Letter beads
- 12 A–Z sets
- What it makes (maker’s)
- Bracelets and necklaces
#5 of 5
Easiest threading
Cool Maker Stack’d Heishi Bracelet Studio
£10–£20 Price range
No threading at all: pressing the beading pen onto each bead stacks a design inside it, then the pen docks in the studio, the beads drop onto the string and a press of the button clasps the bracelet onto the wrist.
What owners say: Owners say the pen makes picking up heishi beads easy for little hands, and like the big choice of beads in the box.
Heads up: Press the button firmly so the clasp closes fully, and give the bracelet a gentle tug to check it before wearing it.
A closer look: Measure the wrist with the ruler first and fill the pen to that mark, so each bracelet comes out the right size. Spin Master puts it at 7 and up, and it suits children who find threading tiny beads frustrating, though older crafters who enjoy knotting their own may find it limiting.
- Beading pen, no threading
- 1,220 heishi beads and 10 feature beads
- Makes 15 bracelets
- Wrist-measuring ruler
- Ages 7 and up
Best for: Children who find threading fiddly
- Beads
- 1,220 heishi + 10 feature
- Letter beads
- No
- What it makes (maker’s)
- 15 bracelets
How they compare
| Feature | #1Galt Sparkle Jewellery | #2Dazhqp 20,000 | #3Fournine 5,300 | #4Lynnmos 8,000 | #5Cool Maker Stack’d |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Most colours | Best value | Most letter beads | Easiest threading | |
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.5 |
| Price | £6.99 RRP | £10–£20 Price range | Under £10 Price range | £10–£20 Price range | £10–£20 Price range |
| Beads | 185, incl. 25 picture beads | About 20,000, 96 colours | About 4,700 clay + 500 charms | 8,000 clay, 24 colours | 1,220 heishi + 10 feature |
| Letter beads | No | Letters and numbers | 6 A–Z sets | 12 A–Z sets | No |
| What it makes (maker’s) | Necklaces and bracelets | Bracelets, necklaces, earrings | Bracelets, necklaces, keyrings | Bracelets and necklaces | 15 bracelets |
| Best for | A first go at beading | The biggest choice of colours | Name bracelets for less | Names and friendship words | Children who find threading fiddly |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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