Friendship Bracelets
Create colorful gifts to share with others.
These beautiful gifts will become beacons of your child’s thoughtfulness and gratitude. And the act of weaving them offers children an outlet for creative expression.
What you’ll need
Colorful embroidery floss
Safety pin or tape to attach threads to a stable base while you’re working
Beads and clasps (optional)
Instructions
Friendship bracelets can take many forms. Simply braid three pieces of embroidery thread together or get more creative. Check out this site for pattern ideas!
Tie off the ends when you finish, or add a clasp.
Decide on your recipients. Maybe you will make a bunch to keep on hand for when you see someone doing a good deed. Or maybe you will make personalized bracelets for certain special people.
Reflection
What does it mean to be a good friend?
How do you feel when someone does something nice for you — especially when it’s unexpected?
What are other ways you can show your appreciation to those who have made a difference in your life and the lives of others?
Resources
Friendship Bracelets by Laura Torres (Klutz, 1996). Ages 6 and up. A Klutz guide to creating all different types of friendship bracelets. Comes with supplies.
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff and Paula Kahumbu (Scholastic Press, 2006). Ages 4 and up. The tale of how a unique bond formed between a tortoise and hippo after the tsunami in Southeast Asia.
Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler by Margery Cuyler (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2007). Ages 5 and up. Mrs. Ruler’s classroom records, in rhyme, the kind deeds they perform.
Secret of the Peaceful Warrior: A Story about Courage and Love by Dan Millman (H.J. Kramer, Inc., 1991). Ages 4 and up. When Danny moves to a new neighborhood, he finds himself needing to stand up for himself. A man in his dreams teaches him how to do it with compassion and nonviolence.
Take it further
Help others spread the message of kindness appreciation, too. Make enough bracelets so that a friend or family member can have some on hand to give out when they witness an act of compassion.
Choose your own personal kindness month (or week). Make a goal of giving out one bracelet a day to someone you feel is making a difference.
Go beyond bracelets! Create necklaces, rings, key chains or some original token of friendship to give out. We offer lovely silicone "share kindness" bracelets in the Doing Good Together Store, perfect for classroom gifts or party favors. Check them out!
