weave gifts for loved ones: kid friendly loom craft

I remember seeing this loom at Toy Fair years ago, and I’m over the moon thrilled that it’s gone from prototype to actual product.

This holiday everyone can have the Melissa & Doug Multi-Craft Loom. Woot. It’s super cool.

And I love, love, love that this kid-friendly loom is one that kids can actually use to make holiday gifts for friends and family.

The more that our kids take the lead in gift-giving, the better, right?

The possibilities with this not-so-little loom are as endless as our kids’ creative spirits. I love it.

Maddy helped me try this out, and our goal was to weave a little gift for a loved one–a super-simple tassled coaster.

It came out really cute, and it’s just the beginning.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Weave Gifts for Loved Ones–Kid-Friendly Loom Craft:

I helped Maddy set up the loom, which only involved screwing a few uprights into the loom frame. It took minutes.

Maddy and I read the directions together because we weren’t sure how it would go.

But she had created a loom in art a few years back, so in no time, she was an old pro.

The cool thing with this loom is that you can adjust the frame according to the craft you want to make. You do this by simply unscrewing these little red knobs and repositioning the horizontal bars and dowels. Very easy.

We adjusted the bar so that the dowels were in the first and second positions and so that the bars were in the middle and bottom positions.

Then we started weaving.

Very simply, we:

tied the end of the yarn to the first dowel

filled the loom by wrapping the yarn on the top and bottom of the frame

tied the other end of the yarn to the second dowel

threaded the big, wooden needle

started weaving the yarn over, under, over, under, over, under until she reached the end–then she went opposite: under, over, under, over, under. . .

completed the coaster by weaving about 1/3 of the way to the top of the frame and then we unhooked the loops from the top

tied the first two loops together, then the second and third loops, then the third and fourth and so on

unhooked the bottom loops and tied them together

cut the loops to fringe the ends

It was easy and cute. And though it’s not perfect, Maddy and I talked about trying different types of yarn and ribbon in the loom, making sets, and giving them to aunts and grandparents this holiday.

The loom set includes instructions for a drawstring pouch, a scarf, a crafty carry-all, pom-poms, tassels, and picture tapestries.

Cora is super-excited to try the picture tapestries. And so am I.

I love that this is an unplugged tool that gives kids endless possibilities for creation. I love that though it’s a big loom, that you can adjust the settings so that kids can create objects of any size.

It’s like an old throwback craft, and I love it. Grab it here: Melissa & Doug Multi-Craft Loom

Want a few Melissa & Doug goodies to sweeten the deal for your loom purchase?

use coupon SAVE5 for $5 off $50
use code FF35 for FREE SHIPPING on $35
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Free Toy Personalization through 11/9/14

fyi: I wrote this post as part of the Melissa & Doug Blog Ambassador program. Melissa & Doug has long created rockstar products that nurture creativity and thought in our children, which is why I am so proud to be a part of this program. Affiliate links are used in this post.