For this yarn-wrapped pipe cleaner craft, we chose colours that mimic the colours of conversation heart candies. This quick and easy craft was a fun way for the kids to make some pretty homemade Valentines ornaments while strengthening their fine-motor skills and coordination.
My daycare kids love any craft that involves yarn, so I recently sat down with some pipe cleaners and yarn to see if I could come up with a fun Valentines craft for them.
The result was this adorable heart ornament which is very quick and easy to make, and super-cute to boot.
EDITED TO ADD: We’ve since made these 10-Minute Yarn Wrapped Pipe Cleaner Friendship Bracelets as well.
Hang individually or make a mobile
These hearts can be hung individually in a window or in your child’s room, or you can tie them to a small branch or piece of wire to form a mobile.
Feel free to use traditional Valentines colours like pinks and reds for your hearts, but we chose pastels because they remind us of those pastel coloured “conversation heart” candies that are associated with Valentines Day.
Skill Development
Even though this is a simple craft, it does challenge kids’ fine-motor skills and co-ordination, which is great. If you’ve never wrapped a pipe cleaner with yarn, just give it a try to see what I mean. 🙂
Tip: If you have pipe cleaners that are similar in colour to your yarn, use those. That way if there are any gaps in your weaving/wrapping and the pipecleaner peeks through, it won’t be obvious.
You may also like our cardboard heart string art craft.
Supplies:
Instructions
Time needed: 20 minutes
Yarn-Wrapped Pipe Cleaner Hearts
- Wrap Pipe Cleaner
Starting about a 1/4 inch in from the end of your pipe cleaner, wind the yarn around the pipe cleaner, Trap the tail of the yarn under as you wrap, and slightly overlap your yarn as you go. Stop wrapping when you get 1/2 inch from the end of the pipe cleaner. Cut your yarn, leaving a tail that’s a few inches long.
- Shape Heart
Bend your pipe cleaner into the shape of a heart and poke the uncovered ends of the pipe cleaner through a bead. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together to secure the bead in place.
- Wrap Ends
Use the tail of your yarn to cover the ends of the pipe cleaner that stick out from the bottom of the bead. Just wrapped the yarn around those ends a few times, and then…
- Crimp to Hold
Crimp the pipe cleaner tightly toward the back of the bead to secure the yarn and trim off any excess yarn.
If need be, you can use a dab of glue to stick down any stray fibers. - Add Yarn for Hanging
If you’ll be hanging your heart ornament, tie a loop of yarn to the top of the heart, and embellish with a bead before knotting the ends of the yarn together.
Now that we’ve discovered this process, I’m sure we’ll go on to make more interesting crafts with pipe cleaners and yarn.
P.S. Since writing this post, we’ve also used this process to make these awesome yarn and pipe cleaner trivets and coasters. Check them out! They’d make a wonderful homemade gift for a child to give to a parent or grandparent!
I have a feeling we’ll be using this process to make a few Christmas ornaments next year too!
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
