Dream Catcher for Kids

Last week, I shared a dream catcher I made for a friend and the little one was very curious about them. A couple of craft supplies and a Native American lesson later, the little one is sporting her very own dream catcher above her bed. Join us for some fun making our newest kid’s craft: a dream catcher.

After making a gift for a friend, Elise was very curious in dream catchers. When I asked her what she thought they did, she said, “I think they are a special place for me to keep all my happy thoughts.” Adorable, right?

Elise became excited to make her own but it was nearing her bedtime, so I pulled out some yarn and a couple of pipe cleaners. She wanted a bigger one, so I set up this big dream catcher craft for the next morning.

Supplies

foam core circle – You could use a paper plate here with the middle cut out, but I didn’t think of that until after this was started. Duh.
yarn – can be scraps if they are about 2-3 feet long sections
yarn needle (a plastic needle) – not a necessity, but it makes it easier for a three year old
beads, buttons, gems (that have a hole large enough to fit over the yarn needle); feathers (my little one didn’t want to add them)

Instructions

I cut out a form from a piece of extra foam core and Elise painted it blue with some washable paint. I punched a few holes in the ring, making sure to add a hole for hanging at the top and many holes at the bottom for the yarn strings to hang from. She chose a few colors of yarn and then she practiced her measuring and scissor skills by cutting lengths of about 36 inches (these will be used for the hanging strings at the bottom of the dream catcher). She then cut a 26 inch piece for weaving the ring.

I got her a plastic needle from my stash – I have no idea what it’s called, maybe a yarn needle? She needed help threading the needle, but she then started weaving it in and out of the holes. There were a couple of times where we had to back out a thread or two and she changed her mind a couple of times about where the daisy button should be, but after about 5 minutes, she was done. I tied the piece into a knot in the back.

She started on the hanging pieces and even tried tying some knots. This is still an area she needs help with, so I did most of the tying after she threaded it through the hole using the needle.

Elise got a little frustrated threading the beads (each bead on both the strings of yarn for a tie) for the hanging pieces, so when she asked for help, I gave it. When we were done, she thought it needed more yarn hanging down so I punched more holes – a lot more holes – along the bottom.

After she was done threading the yarn and I was done tying it to the form, I made a template and asked her to cut along the bottom. It was a slow process, but she made it through, and honestly did better at following the template than I thought she would. She did cut the template a few times, so be sure to use something you don’t need (I used my notes from the dream catcher ornament I made).

Yield: 1 dreamcatcher