There are many different pony bead keychain patterns available online, which makes this a fun project for young crafters.
About Pony Beads
Pony beads are popular materials for children's crafts. There are many reasons people love pony beads:
- They are inexpensive and easy to find.
- You don't need to worry about the beads breaking or chipping.
- The beads have very large holes, which is helpful for small children who lack the patience to work with the more delicate seed beads required by other types of projects.
- Projects such as keychains can be strung with colored satin cord instead of a thin thread or transparent stretch cord, which makes the experience less frustrating for a young crafter.
Pony beads are made of plastic. They can be transparent, iridescent, or opaque. Pony beads are available in a variety of colors. You can purchase beads in single color packages or buy assortments of coordinating colors. Beads usually come in fairly large packages, however, so one purchase will provide enough materials to make multiple keychain designs.
Some stores sell pony beads in specialty shapes, such as hearts or sports balls. While these beads can be interesting additions to bracelets and necklaces, pony bead keychain patterns generally only use standard pony beads.
Finding Pony Bead Keychain Patterns
Pony bead projects are suitable for children ages eight and up. Before this age, many children lack the fine motor skills needed to string the beads in the appropriate pattern and tie the knots securely.
Most pony bead keychain projects can be completed in about 30 minutes, although this will vary according to the complexity of the design you choose. When making pony bead keychains, store beads in shallow bowls to keep them from rolling off the table. If you're working with a group of children, save time by precutting cords to the desired length.
The selection of pony bead keychain patterns you can find online includes everything from flowers and animals to common household objects and items from your favorite TV show:
- Frog: This frog is adorable and easy to make.
- Dragonfly: The dragonfly design is a popular choice among young girls.
- Heart: A heart is a fun project to make for Valentine's Day, although you could substitute other colors for year-round fun if you wish..
- Pony Bead Lunch: Learn how to make ice cream, soda, and pizza from pony beads.
- Game Boy: A beaded Game Boy model is the perfect choice for a young crafter who loves video games.
- Pokemon Ball: Fans of the Pokemon cartoon and trading card game will enjoy making this project.
- Rainbow Fish: This beaded fish is inspired by the popular children's book The Rainbow Fish.
- Camp Key Rings: Combine pony beads with alphabet beads to make a keychain that spells out your name or a favorite phrase.
You can find an even larger selection of pony bead designs by visiting the Keychain Bead Patterns website. This site includes holiday projects as well as designs for licensed characters like Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh.
A Fun and Versatile Craft
Pony bead keychains make great gifts for parents, grandparents, teachers, daycare providers, and other important people in a child's life. Many children also enjoy trading keychain designs with their friends and clipping the colorful beaded figures to their backpacks.
One fun way to present a pony bead keychain as a gift is to enclose it in an origami box made from 12x12 scrapbook paper. These pretty lidded boxes are the perfect size for a keychain and a short personal note. LoveToKnow Origami has a simple photo tutorial that shows you how to complete this project.
