My daughters have been begging me for the last year for a rubber band bracelet making set. At first, I was reluctant to buy them any of these sets as I knew it would require me to have to figure it out and show them how to do it. I will freely admit it, I’m sometimes a lazy parent. In the past, my daughters have shown very little patience for projects such as these and I wasn’t in the mood to watch them dissolve into tears.
Finally, I broke down and bought them each a bracelet making set for Christmas. We’ve all been pleasantly surprised with the results and as an adult, I find the entire bracelet making process enjoyable and relaxing.
I bought them the Cra-Z-Art Cra-Z-loom Bracelet Making Set. The kit contain 1 Loom, 1 weaving hook, 600 assorted latex free rubber bands, 10 emoji beads, 2 plastic key fobs, 25 “S” hooks and easy-to-follow instructions. There are also sets that include regular beads instead of emoji beads.
My daughters are 10 and 7. They each have successfully learned how to make a basic single loop bracelet. The instructions give you the choice of three types of bracelets, the single loop, the ladder bracelet and the waterfall bracelet. The single loop is the easiest and least complicated of the three types.
I initially didn’t find the instructions easy. I had literally no experience with this type of set. It took me a few minutes, while reading and looking at the diagrams to figure out how we were supposed to start. Once I figured out how to do the basic single loop bracelet, I showed my daughters. My youngest still needs help with applying the slip-not at the end but she enjoys picking the bands and creating the color patterns.
The ladder and waterfall bracelets are more complicated. It took me two failed attempts before I had to utilize a few YouTube videos in which to help me. Once I learned, they came out great and like I said before, as an adult, I find picking the bands relaxing. As for my daughters being able to make the ladder and waterfall bracelets on their own, they still need guidance. Applying a cap band (which is 1 rubber band wrapped around a designated peg 2-3 times) and picking the bands out from under is difficult. For the most part, the bands are pretty forgivable if you make a small mistake and you can easily re-attach them, other mistakes are not so easy to fix. It just takes practice and patience in the beginning.
The Cra-Z-loom is fun, relaxing and rewarding. It helps children with their dexterity and fine tuning skills. My girls have made bracelets for all of our relatives and all of their friends at school. I would highly recommend this affordable product to any child!
