How to Make Plastic Beaded Necklaces

Most children enjoy making jewelry, especially necklaces. This project encourages a child's creativity to project their artistic abilities. Plastic beaded necklaces can have one or more strands and can combine a variety of colors and plastic accent bead shapes to work into any design. Also, these necklaces can be made as gifts for special occasions such as Mother's Day, a birthday or a holiday. The crafter can wear and show off something made with care, thought and pride.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Assorted plastic beads
• Accent beads with holes
• Plastic cord
• Bead board
• Necklace toggle clasp
• Scissors

Making Plastic Beaded Necklaces

1. 
    
   Bead board

   Gather a variety of plastic beads in different sizes, colors and shapes. Pick out and put aside more than may be needed to make a necklace 18" long or 20" long. Using a bead board (see image in this step), pick out a bead that will be the focal point of the necklace, a piece that stands out from the rest of the beads collected. A bead board is a very useful template to help arrange and properly measure necklaces and other jewelry to be created.

2. Place contrasting beads on either side of the focal bead. Continue adding beads on either side as desired until the layout of beads reaches the required size of the necklace, usually 16" or 18". It can certainly be made longer if preferred. Rearrange the beads if the first layout is unsatisfactory to you. Add other accent beads either randomly or in a measured fashion to create interest and more contrast to the total design.

3. Cut a 25" piece of place cord to string the beads together. Starting at either end of the line of beads on the bead board, string the outside bead and pull it through to the middle of the cord length. Add the next bead and the next until all the beads have been strung. There should be several inches of cord remaining on both ends. Take one end and attach one part of the necklace toggle clasp through the cord. Slip the end of the cord through the top two beads and tie a knot to secure the clasp. Do the same on the other end of the necklace with the second part of the toggle clasp. Cut off excess cord. The necklace is complete and ready to wear or give as a gift.

Tips & Warnings

• Plastic beads, cords and other supplies are readily available at local craft shops and discount coupons can usually be found in newspapers.
• Children need supervision and guidance by adults to help them with this project.

Resources

• Plastic bead supplies
• Bead and craft supplies
• More plastic bead supplies