How to Make a Children's Headpiece With Tin Foil & Ribbon

Headpieces complete a costume.

Headpieces make an entertaining craft for a kid's party or a rainy day at home, and using household items such as aluminum foil and ribbon keeps it affordable. The craft is versatile and can accomodate almost any style, from elegant Egyptian headbands or medieval crowns, to outrageous space-alien headgear. The foil and ribbon are a starting point, but you can add other decorations as well such as construction paper, feathers, faux jewels, beads and fur.

Things You'll Need

• Aluminum foil
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Masking tape
• Craft glue or glue sticks
• Tempera paint or spray paint

Instructions

1. Tear off a large piece of foil. Wrap the foil around your child's head to measure. Add 2 inches to the length. Lay the foil on a flat work surface. If the headpiece will be large or tall, double the layer of foil to make it sturdier. Draw the design onto the foil with a pencil -- the point will leave an incised line rather than a black line. Cut the foil into the desired shape with scissors.

2. Fit the headpiece to your child's head again and mark where the two sides overlap. Tape the join into shape on the inside of the headpiece so the tape does not show.

3. Decorate the headpiece with ribbon. Glue the ribbon to the foil using a strong, fast-drying craft glue. If the kids are making the headpieces themselves, give them glue sticks to reduce mess.

4. Paint the headpiece with tempera paint or spray paint. If using spray paint, only apply it in a well ventilated area with safety gloves and adult supervision. Apply any other decorations to the headpiece such as beads, fur or feathers.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a more complex headpiece with several pieces of foil attached with masking tape.

• Use cardboard as backing for very tall headpieces.

References

• Artists Helping Children: Foil Crafts for Kids
• Berkeley Research: On the Effectiveness of the Tin Foil Hat