Like I’ve mentioned previously, I love having the opportunity to craft with children! They’re often much more creative than I could ever be, and it’s so exciting to get a glimpse of how they think. This week, we made a lot of Perler bead creations together.

• Multicoloured Perler beads (Watermelon: 79 red/pink, 8 black, 15 white, 25 green)
• Pegboard
• Ironing paper
• Iron

Assorted Patterns with Tutorial by Perler

With Perler beads, you can make virtually any design you want! Just think of each bead as a “pixel” of colour, and you can build anything, from pop culture to your favourite snack. One of my babysitting children adores watermelon, so it seemed only fitting that I helped her to put this together.

They do recommend having an adult help with the ironing process, but other than that, this is a very child-friendly craft that allows for endless customization. Even a simple heart shape can lead to hundreds of options as children pick their own colours and layouts.

As a note, the longer that you leave the iron on, the more “fused” and melted the beads will get. I recommend starting with less time and slowly adding more as needed, as you don’t want your creation to get too melted. What would you want to make with these beads?

Until next time, happy crafting!