Barrettes and Other Hair Accessory Crafts for Kids

All little girls love to get dressed up and fix up their hair with cute hair accessories. In fact, my daughters began calling ponytail holders “pretties” years ago and the name has simply stuck. If you and your little one are tired of the same old terry cloth hair bands, then give some of these fun ideas a try.

Scruncis, ponytail holders, or prettys, whatever you call them, don’t have to be boring and plain. There are several neat tricks to dressing up your ponytail holders. If you or your child is interested in learning to crochet, try making crocheted ponytail holders. Follow one of the many patterns available online or create your own. These simple projects only need a rubber band and a few feet of yarn. Learning to crochet by making ponytail holders is fun because the child can use the end product and the project goes quickly. The frilly lacy patterns are more complicated, but little girls really love them.

Are you teaching your young lady the basics of sewing? Take the opportunity to practice a simple whip stitch. Purchase some ponytail holders from the store or recycle your old ones from home. Attach small silk flowers around the holder. You will be amazed how this simple idea can jazz up an old ponytail holder.

If your youngster is not interested in ponytail holders, then try having some fun with beads. Small sections of hair can be separated and placed into beads. This can either be done by hand or with an inexpensive hair beading tool. Girls love placing several beads in a row to create a special pattern. Lettered beads, available at your local craft store and where craft supplies are sold, are great fun. You can spell out your child’s name in her hair with these fun letters. If your daughter has a sleepover, the girls may want to put the letters “BFF” in their hair. The ladies know this stands for best friends forever.

Combine beads with your ponytail holders by stringing colored or lettered beads on fishing line or craft string. Secure the beads by knotting the ends and gluing the end beads in place. Sew the small strings of beads from one side of the ponytail holder creating the top. The beads will dangle and sparkle when the child’s hair has been pulled up.

Barrettes are fun crafts, too. Pick up a couple of metal craft barrettes. Usually the center is open on the barrette with two metal strips that make the barrette. You can pick up several for just a couple of bucks. Shoelaces are adorable when used on a barrette. Whether you prefer black or white shoelaces for neutrality, or bold and bright colors, everyone will comment on this cute craft.

To make the shoestring barrette, you will want from three to six shoelaces. The number of laces will depend on how full you want your barrette to look. Find the middle of the shoelace and create a loop like tying a shoe. Make another loop to the right of the first and whip stitch the two loops together. Do the same to the left. Try to keep the loops even if possible. Make four or five loops this way across the shoelace. Leave a little bit of the shoelace loose at the end. Do the same with each shoelace. You can whip stitch the laces together to create a more stable product. Attach the ruffled laces to the barrette by sewing through assorted places in the laces and wrapping your thread around the metal barrette. Use matching or clear thread for this project to avoid looking unprofessional.

As your child bounces and plays her shoelace barrette will sway in the breeze. She will not only love the craft project, but the finished barrette, too.

Using the same style metal barrette clip, make a barrette from balloons. A bag of multi-colored large balloons is terrific. The different colors will brighten up this project. Begin by threading the open end of a deflated balloon through the center of the barrette under to one edge of the barrette. Be certain to allow about 2/3 of the balloon to dangle. Tie securely in a knot around the barrette. Using a different colored balloon, do the same thing on the opposite side. Alternate sides of the barrette for simplicity. This will allow you more room to work and ensure your craft will be symmetrical. After three or four balloons on each side, tie the balloon around the barrette only leaving the open end of the balloon up to be seen. Try alternating colors as much as possible. Avoid one balloon sticking out way above the rest. Continue with the regular balloon portion again for several balloons then repeat with the open end. This allows the project to show that it is balloons without having too many open-ended tails showing. Fill up the barrette as full as you wish.

Another idea is to sew a bunch of large buttons across a barrette. You can use typical round buttons if they are large enough to cover the metal barrette. Also, specialty

Buttons come in a variety of shapes. Pick up some musical notes or school buses. This craft is fun and easy to personalize with buttons that match your child’s personality.

The simplest hair accessory only involves material and pinking sheers. Check for inexpensive remnants at the craft store for this project. Using a pair of pinking shears, Cut strips of fabric about a foot long by two or three inches. Vary the size depending on preference. Materials with small patterns and colors work best for this craft.

After cutting your strip, fold the material in half lengthwise. Make certain that the right side of the material faces you. Tie around a ponytail in the middle and allow the extra material to hang down. My girls have also tried this idea with slightly longer pieces of material to create a headband accessory. Sliding the hair back off the face, place the material behind the ears and tie either at the top of the head or near the nape of the neck.

These crafts will have your girls looking great while maintaining the pocketbook.