Straw Necklace

Become a jewelry designer for the day with the Straw Necklace activity! This fun and colorful activity involves threading cut-up straws onto a string to create your very own unique necklace. It’s a fantastic way to develop fine motor skills, color recognition and pattern understanding.
Straw Necklace - Kids activities

Summary

Appropriate kid’s energy level

Tired

Skill(s) developed

Creativity, Fine motor, Sensory

Prep time

3 minutes

Type of activity

Arts/Crafts, Math, Physical

Appropriate setting(s)

Both indoors and outdoors

Material(s) needed

Colorful straws, Scissors, String

Easy mode

Get started by threading the cut-up straws onto the string in any way you like. There’s no right or wrong – just let your creativity shine through!

Hard mode

Now, let’s take it up a notch! Thread the straws onto the string but this time, follow a color pattern. You could use red-blue-red-blue, or any pattern you want. This is a great way to practice recognizing and repeating patterns!

Challenge mode

Ready for the ultimate challenge? Create a necklace with an ABC or number pattern. Each color represents a different letter or number. For example, red could be ‘A’ or ‘1’, blue could be ‘B’ or ‘2’, and so on. This will test your memory and sequencing skills!

Some prompts to encourage the kid

  • You’re a brilliant jewelry designer!
  • I can’t wait to see your colorful creation!
  • Wow, your necklace is going to be so unique!
  • What a fantastic pattern you’re making!
  • You’re doing an amazing job threading those straws!

Important things to keep in mind

  • This activity is a versatile tool for teaching various skills
  • Adjust the challenge level based on each child’s progress
  • Be sure to supervise, as small parts can pose a choking hazard for younger children.

More ideas to support your Screen-Free journey

Why we created Screen Free Kids?

We’re parents, just like you – trying to raise curious, creative kids in a world full of screens. Screen Free Kids started as a personal project to rediscover simple, joyful ways to play, learn, and connect. Now, we share those ideas with thousands of families  – through thoughtful activities, parenting guides, and a book full of inspiration. More about us.

Get all our activities + screen-free guide

We’ve gathered our screen free parenting guide + all our screen-free favorites into one easy-to-use collection. Perfect for busy days, travel, or when you just need a quick idea. Full of low-prep, mess-free activities, all organized by kid's energy level. Available for Kindle, as a PDF, or as a beautifully printed book (in select countries).

Explore more activities

Based on kid's energy levels

Whether your child is bouncing off the walls or winding down after a long day, we’ve got just the right activities to match their energy. Explore playful ideas to channel high energy, calming tasks to soothe the senses, and restful fun for those tired moments.

Based on the setting

Whether you’re indoors on a rainy day or soaking up the sun outside, there’s an activity here to suit your setting. Explore our curated list of indoor games and outdoor adventures that keep kids curious, active, and entertained – wherever you are.

Focussed on key life skills

Support your child’s growth with fun, low-prep activities that target key developmental skills. Whether you’re building fine motor precision or encouraging emotional expression, each activity is designed to help kids thrive – while having a blast!

By activity type

Choose the kind of play that sparks your child’s interest. From energetic physical games to hands-on science experiments, creative art projects to fun with numbers, these activities make learning feel like play.

Scroll to Top