I love doing melty bead projects with my kids — OK, well with my 5 year-old. My younger son still makes a mess with the beads and doesn’t understand the concept.
I have found that by doing these melty bead creations with Little E it is a great way to teach him fine motor skills as well as how to follow printed directions. This could also be an ideal project to use for school projects.
Right now we’ve been talking a lot about Valentine’s Day so we decided to make a Valentine’s Day Letter.
For this project you will need:
- Red, white, and pink melty beads
- Melty bead tray
- Ironing paper
- Iron
If you have one of the large tubs of melty bears, separate out 14 red, 56 pink, and 61 white beads. If you don’t have the large tub, you can always buy small packs of red, white, and pink beads. You can find all of these on Amazon.
You will also need a bead tray this will accommodate 13 columns and 10 rows. Using the pattern I provided, place the beads in the tray to create the design.
When you are done placing the beads, it should look a pink and white envelope with a red heart in the center.
Now it’s time to set the design. Since this part involves an iron its important that an adult does it.
Place the bead tray on a flat, heat-resistant surface. Put a household iron on the medium setting. Place the ironing paper over the bead tray. Iron the project using a circular motion. Let it cool.
Remove the paper and flip it over to the non-fused side. If you want both sides dusted, just repeat the ironing steps.
Once everything has cooled you will have a cute Valentine’s Day decoration or even an adorable Valentine to give away!
