Halloween Necklaces – a fun, simple Halloween craft for toddlers and preschoolers that helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
We’re making lots of Halloween crafts here in my home daycare these days, and today we created these cute Halloween necklaces.
The children loved the bright, festive colours and the thrill of making something they could wear. I appreciated the learning that happened during the activity — concentration, coordination, and creative decision-making.
You may also like our painted washer necklace and our pinecone apple necklace.
To make your Halloween necklaces, you’ll need:
- Scissors
- Coloured drinking straws
- Black yarn
- Child’s sewing needle (plastic or blunt-tip for safety)
- Button or bead to serve as a stopper
Begin by having your child cut the drinking straws into short pieces. Cutting the straws is a valuable scissor exercise that helps build hand strength and control.
Thread a long length of black yarn through the child’s sewing needle. Tie a large button or bead to one end of the yarn to act as a stopper so the straws don’t slide off during threading. You can remove the stopper when the necklace is finished.
Give the materials to your child and let them work. Lining up the needle and pushing it through each straw piece requires hand-eye coordination and fine motor control. Holding the needle with one hand while pulling the straw down the yarn until it reaches the stopper is a new skill for many children and may take a few tries.
Demonstrate the motion if needed, but try to avoid over-helping. Talking your child through the steps and using a few guided actions helps them learn to solve the task independently and build confidence.
The activity also offers opportunities for language and cognitive development. For younger children, talk about colours as they thread the straws. Older children can practice creating and repeating patterns with the different coloured pieces.
Let each child decide how many straws to thread and when the necklace looks finished to them. Allowing children to make creative choices fosters independence, decision-making, and pride in their work.
If you’re looking for more easy Halloween jewelry projects, try our Hallowe’en Button Bracelets for another simple, kid-friendly idea.
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