Perler Bead Projects for Kids

Perler beads are a super fun craft item for kids to use. Also known (by me, anyway) as melty beads, these colorful pieces of plastic are assembled into different shapes on a grid, then melted together by ironing on top of them (with protective paper on top, of course!).

They’re a great craft for kids who are big enough not to put the beads in their mouths. They give a lot of great fine motor skill practice, help kids to learn how to follow a pattern (it’s almost like coding) and requires patience if the project is very big or detailed. It’s also a lot of fun to see the magic of the beads turning into a solid piece, and making fun 8-bit images of all sorts.

If you’re new to working with melty beads, check out this list of 17 easy Perler bead projects from Cool Kids Crafts. One of my favorites is the rainbow, which comes from Steamsational.

Instead of filling a peg board with beads, you can use a cookie cutter and layer the inside area with beads, then bake in the oven to make an ornament. Mama in the Now has the tutorial.

These melty bookmarks from What Do We Do All Day are both easy to make and useful for kids, as a teacher gift for the library center or for grandparents.

DIY Candy has a great collection of summer themed Perler bead patterns for all skill levels. The mermaids shown above are from this list.

Kandi Patterns and the Perler website are two great places to look for all sorts of Perler bead projects. Kandi Patterns has fuse bead projects as well as cuff beading, peyote stitch and more, but most of these can be used for Perler beads. They also have a pattern maker currently in development so you can make your own designs. The Perler website has lots of great detailed projects that are good for older kids and adults, including lots of three-dimensional project like the nutcracker shown above.

And if you don’t want to melt your melty beads, you can combine them with another classic kid craft material — rainbow loom bands — and make a fun bracelet. Check out the tutorial from Dabbles and Babbles.

If you really get into melty beads and want to add some technology into the mix, check out my review of the smART Pixelator melty bead device.

Fun Thanksgiving Perler Bead Patterns

Perler Bead Snowflake Patterns

Valentine’s Fun With Perler Beads

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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