Valentine Craft for Kids: Heart Jelly Bean Bracelet

Affiliate links included for this Valentine craft. Enjoy! 

I wish I had documented the day that my oldest learned of candy necklaces. Special treats joining forces with jewelry?!?! YES!!!!!!!!!!

So on a recent trip to the grocery store, I thought I’d see if I could find any Valentine’s jelly candy that we could use for a craft. Remember, I’m TOTALLY NOT CRAFTY, (no, really….) but I figured that poking holes through some jelly beans and tying  knot in some string was something I could handle.

So here’s how I made a Valentine craft for kids in the form of a jelly bean bracelet.

First, I gathered my supplies. You need some jewelry elastic. I found mine at Walmart with all the jewelry making supplies, and I’m sure Michael’s has it, but that store scares the crap out of me (remember, NOT CRAFTY!). I also found these heart shaped jelly beans, but you can use anything you can find that you think will withstand the puncture of a needle really well.

Speaking of the needle, I wanted to get something really thick, and not sharp on the tip since this craft is intended for kids. I found a tapestry needle, and I have no idea if that was the “best” choice, but it worked for me!

Even with the large, “dull” needle, I still felt that the act of puncturing each jelly bean was a bit too challenging for a 4-year-old. I’m thinking this would be a good craft for maybe ages 7 and up.

I tied a few knots on one end of the string to get started, and then ran the needle and thread through the center of the jelly bean, like this:

And then I realized that I made a hole far too large for my dinky little knot. So I needed some other way to keep the string from falling through while I got all the jelly bean hearts on the string (I hope that makes sense!). So I busted out my Scotch tape and just taped it in place for the moment. Once again, no idea if that was the “right” thing to do, but it worked!

Once I had all the jelly beans on the string, I tied lots and lots of little knots. It needed several because this plastic material is very slippery, and I noticed that one simple knot will come undone. Several are needed for it to behave!

That’s it! You are done and now have a really cute bracelet. This is such a great craft for parent/child bonding time, or for a play date. You can even make necklaces or anklets using this concept.

I spent about $5 on the supplies, and I could probably make 4 bracelets with the jelly beans I have. Not too bad, and it was a huge hit with my daughter! Give it a try, even if you are like me and “don’t do crafts!” And just a head’s up: your tapestry needle will not survive the craft. It will be completely coated in candy by the time you are done. I gave the needle my most heartfelt thanks for its service, and then sent it to the garbage can!