Top 6 compared
The best bracelet making kits for kids
Names spelled in beads, friendship stacks and charm bracelets, made by hand to wear and trade.
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The top 6 at a glance
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#1Best overall
SJZWSD 6-box kit
$20–$309.3/10
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#2Best wooden beads
Melissa & Doug Bead Bouquet
$30–$509.4/10
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#3Best glass beads
Funtopia glass beads
$10–$209.2/10
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#4Best charm bracelets
UFU charm bracelet kit
$30–$509.2/10
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#5Best pony beads
Redtwo pony beads
$20–$309.2/10
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#6Best budget
Hbnlai 5,300 clay kit
$10–$208.9/10
A bracelet making kit is a box of beads and something to string them on, for bracelets, necklaces and anklets of your own. The big kits hold thousands of flat clay discs sorted by colour, with letter beads for names and spacers and charms to go between them. Glass beads look more like crystal, pony beads are chunky plastic barrels, and charm kits come with ready-made charms to slide onto chains.
Threading tiny clay discs takes patience, and bigger wooden or pony beads are easier for small fingers. Every kit here is full of small parts, so keep it away from babies and toddlers, even where a box says all ages. On stretchy cord, a tight double knot with the ends trimmed short holds best.
What matters
- Plenty of letter beads in the box, if words are the plan.
- Cord or chains included, so there’s nothing else to buy before starting.
#1SJZWSD 6-Box Friendship Bracelet Kit (clay, seed and letter beads)
$20–$30
Three boxes of clay discs in 72 shades, a fourth of seed beads in 24 more, over 1,300 letter beads, charms and clasps: enough for long names. Melissa & Doug’s Bead Bouquet scores better, though that one is a kit of wooden shapes on cords with no letters.
What owners say: Owners call it beautiful, with a huge choice of beads and everything needed in the box, hardware included, and like it for swapping bracelets with friends at concerts. No complaint recurs.
A closer look: Each kind of bead has its own box, so the kit is easy to share around a table, with one person on letters and another on clay. The seed beads are far smaller than the clay discs, so they suit steadier hands, and a tray or a shallow dish stops them rolling away.
- Each bead type boxed separately
- Enough letters for long names
- Charms and clasps included
Best for: Large groups
- Beads
- About 15,000 clay and seed, 96 colours
- Letter beads
- 1,300+
- Cord or chain
- 2 rolls of elastic
- Ages (maker’s)
- 4 and up
#2Melissa & Doug Bead Bouquet Wooden Bead Kit (220 beads)
$30–$50
Wooden hearts, flowers and butterflies, handcrafted and painted in bright colours, with eight cords to cut to length and a wooden sorting tray that holds it all. The beads are big enough for small hands, so younger children can string necklaces, bracelets and anklets on their own.
What owners say: It’s a good kit for a four-year-old, parents find, and the quality of the wood, the colour options and the mix of beads all get praise.
A closer look: The cords come as long lengths, so cut each one to a wrist or neck size with room left for a knot. A strip of tape wrapped around a cut end makes a stiff tip that threads more easily.
- Hearts, flowers and butterfly beads
- Wooden sorting tray
- Necklaces, bracelets or anklets
Best for: Preschoolers and early grades
- Beads
- 220 wooden
- Letter beads
- No
- Cord or chain
- 8 cords
- Ages (maker’s)
- 4 to 8
#3Funtopia Glass Bead Bracelet Kit (6 mm, 34 colours)
$10–$20
Glass instead of clay: round 6 mm beads in solid and gradient colours, with 400 gold and silver spacers, six silver pendants and a roll of crystal elastic, each colour in its own compartment. The beads catch the light, so the bracelets look a little more grown-up.
What owners say: Owners find the beads good quality and very pretty, like the choice of colours, and use them for bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Opinions split on the bead count, with some finding one colour makes a single bracelet, and on durability.
A closer look: At about 1.5 mm across, the holes let the beads go straight onto the crystal elastic. Give the cord a few firm stretches before stringing it, and the finished bracelet won’t sag after the first wears.
- Gold and silver spacer beads
- Six silver pendants
- Beads go straight onto elastic
- Compartment for each colour
Best for: Older kids and teens
- Beads
- 1,020 glass, 34 colours
- Letter beads
- No
- Cord or chain
- 1 roll of crystal elastic
- Ages (maker’s)
- All ages
#4UFU Charm Bracelet Making Kit (120 pieces, unicorn and mermaid)
$30–$50
Unicorn, mermaid, rainbow and space charms hang from snake chain bracelets and necklace cords, mixed with charm beads and metal beads. The end cap unscrews, so there’s nothing to tie or glue.
What owners say: The finished bracelets, the range of charms and how easily they go together win owners over, along with hours of fun. The compact box is the one thing they disagree on.
Heads up: There’s enough for ten pieces, five bracelets and five necklaces, so making more means buying extra chains or cords.
A closer look: Adjustable from about 16.5 to 21.6 cm (6.5 to 8.5 in), the chains need nothing cut to size. Charms come off as easily as they go on, so a bracelet can be restyled for a new outfit, and the box keeps the spares sorted between sessions.
- Screw-off end caps
- Adjustable chains
- Sorted in a jewellery box
Best for: Charm bracelets
- Beads
- 50 charm beads, 30 charms
- Letter beads
- No
- Cord or chain
- 5 snake chains, 5 necklaces
- Ages (maker’s)
- 5 to 12
#5Redtwo Pony Bead Bracelet Kit (5,000 pieces, 144 colours)
$20–$30
Glitter, pearl, metallic and glow-in-the-dark pony beads alongside the solid colours, with hearts, stars, fruit and flowers for accents. At 6 x 9 mm with wide holes, they’re quicker to pick up and thread than flat clay discs.
What owners say: With so many beads in so many colours, all sorted into their own boxes, owners find it fun to use. The size of the kit draws mixed views.
A closer look: Seven boxes keep the colours apart, so open one at a time and a spill stays small. Redtwo says the beads keep their colour when worn swimming or in the bath, and the elastic’s slightly grippy surface helps knots hold.
- Glow-in-the-dark beads
- Hearts, stars and fruit beads
- Grippy elastic holds knots
Best for: Lots of colours
- Beads
- 4,000+ pony, 144 colours
- Letter beads
- 600+
- Cord or chain
- 5 rolls of elastic
- Ages (maker’s)
- 6 and up
#6Hbnlai Clay Bead Bracelet Kit (5,300 pieces)
$10–$20
One flat case holds 6 mm clay discs with 2 mm holes, letter, number and fruit beads, gold spacers and lobster clasps, plus stretchy string, scissors and tweezers. It has fewer colours than the SJZWSD kit above.
What owners say: Owners report that kids love it, and the colour range, the variety of beads and the value please them too. They’re divided on whether the kit arrives complete.
A closer look: Only about 1 mm thin, the discs make a long strand per bracelet: string some, wrap it around the wrist to check, then add more before tying off. The whole kit sits in a case under 2 cm deep, so it slips into a backpack for a friend’s house.
- Scissors and tweezers included
- Lobster clasps for necklaces
- Gold spacer beads
Best for: Trying clay beads
- Beads
- About 4,600 clay, 18 colours
- Letter beads
- 300
- Cord or chain
- 1 roll of elastic
- Ages (maker’s)
- 6 and up
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1SJZWSD 6-box kit | #2Melissa & Doug Bead Bouquet | #3Funtopia glass beads | #4UFU charm bracelet kit | #5Redtwo pony beads | #6Hbnlai 5,300 clay kit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best wooden beads | Best glass beads | Best charm bracelets | Best pony beads | Best budget | |
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $10–$20 | $30–$50 | $20–$30 | $10–$20 |
| Beads | About 15,000 clay and seed, 96 colours | 220 wooden | 1,020 glass, 34 colours | 50 charm beads, 30 charms | 4,000+ pony, 144 colours | About 4,600 clay, 18 colours |
| Letter beads | 1,300+ | No | No | No | 600+ | 300 |
| Cord or chain | 2 rolls of elastic | 8 cords | 1 roll of crystal elastic | 5 snake chains, 5 necklaces | 5 rolls of elastic | 1 roll of elastic |
| Ages (maker’s) | 4 and up | 4 to 8 | All ages | 5 to 12 | 6 and up | 6 and up |
| Best for | Large groups | Preschoolers and early grades | Older kids and teens | Charm bracelets | Lots of colours | Trying clay beads |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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