Tag Archives: crafting with kids

How to Make Pom-Pom Ornaments
How to make pom-pom ornaments: a snowman and a gnome pom-pom ornament.

Pom-poms are one of our favorite things to make (especially when made with a pom-pom maker… one of our favorite tools!), but what happens when you use pom-poms to make ornaments? CUTENESS overload!

I taught our company staff how to make these ornaments last year as part of our holiday festivities, and everyone had so much fun making their own custom ornaments that I KNEW I had to pass it along to you.

The supplies for making these ornaments are inexpensive (and you probably already have things around the house that will work well), especially if you use stash yarn. HOWEVER, I really love using Tuff Puff for making pom-poms because you can make them super quickly, and they turn out so full and fuzzy.

Read on to learn how to make a Pom-Pom Snowman / Snowperson ornament and a Pom-Pom Gnome ornament.

Pom-Pom Ornaments Supplies:

  • White Tuff Puff (or white yarn of your choice)
  • White sock yarn, cord or thread (We used Bare Hawthorne)
  • Felt, various colors, including orange
  • Pom-pom makers
  • Scissors
  • Toothpicks (or “mini craft dowels”)
  • Wooden buttons
  • Black beads
  • Mug for circle template
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • (Optional) Red & white striped pipe cleaners + wire cutters

To make Pom-Pom Snowman Ornament:

Two snowman pom-pom ornaments.

Snowman (or “Snowperson” as we call them in the office) Ornaments are so cute you’ll want to make several of them. Once you’ve made one, show your family how to make them too so everyone can get in on the fun. Each snowpersonality will emerge as you add accessories, so get creative!

  1. Snowman Body: First, make 2 pom-poms from white Tuff Puff using 2 different sizes of pom-pom maker (I used the small & medium pom-pom makers).  Quick Note: We have a video on our Youtube that demonstrates how to use a pom-pom maker.
    • Wrap pom-pom maker, close, then cut according to directions.
    • Tie around pom-pom securely with Hawthorne (or other strong cord), cut to about 12”.
    • Open up the pom-pom maker to release the pom.
    • Give pom-pom a “haircut” to even out the yarn. Leave Hawthorne tie long for hanging ornament.
    • Glue both poms together, leaving the tie at the top of the small pom.
  2. Earmuffs: Next, cut 2 small circles and a 1.5” rectangle for the headband from felt.
    • Glue circles to ends of rectangle to make the headband.
    • Hot glue earmuffs to pom-pom head to secure.
  3. Arms: Snap toothpick in half. Cut mitten shapes from felt and glue to the ends of half toothpicks. Hot glue toothpicks into pom-pom body.
    • Use a 1″ piece of pipe cleaner (cut with wire cutters) as a candy cane, if desired.
  4. Face: Use a small snippet of orange felt to make a carrot nose. Glue onto face.
    • Use a toothpick to pick up black bead and dip in hot glue, then glue it to the face as eyes.

Related Article: How to Use a Tassel Maker

To make Pom-Pom Gnome Ornament:

Two gnome pom-pom ornaments.

Nothing is cuter than these Nordic-inspired pom-pom gnome ornaments, and they’re so easy to make. Keep them minimal (in keeping with Nordic style), or go crazy and add any embellishments you want. One person in our office used a jumbo pom-pom maker to make a very large gnome ornament!

  • Head: Make a pom-pom from white Tuff Puff using larger pom-pom maker
    • Wrap pom-pom maker, close, then cut.
    • Tie around pom-pom securely with Hawthorne, then cut to about 12”.
    • Open up the pom-pom maker to release the pom.
    • Give pom-pom a “haircut.” Leave Hawthorne tie long for hanging ornament.
  • Hat: Make a hat with felt using a mug as a circle template. Slit circle from side into middle and then form into a cone, securing with hot glue. 
    • Slip Hawthorne tie through hole in top of hat for hanging ornament (note: a small crochet hook can help you slip the cord through the hole easily). 
    • Hot glue hat to pom-pom head to secure.
  • Nose: Hot glue wooden button just peeking out under hat.

You might also enjoy: 7 Plaid Crochet Patterns to Make

If you make some pom-pom ornaments, don’t forget to tag us on social media so we can see them! @wecrochetofficial on Instagram.

How to make Pom-Pom Ornaments: Two gnome pom-pom ornaments.


Tips for Crocheting With Kids

Kids as young as preschool or kindergarten can learn to crochet, and grade schoolers and older are more than capable of learning finger-crochet or the basics of crocheting with a hook. We asked our crocheter friends for their top tips for crocheting with kids.

This week we’ve been focusing on crafting with kids while everyone is at home together. If you missed it, here are our previous posts in this series:

We asked crocheters: What are your tips for crocheting with kids?

Crocheting Teaching Tips from Marie of Underground Crafter:

“If you’re a crochet lover, you know it’s a great hobby that allows you to make useful and beautiful finished objects. You may also be aware of the many other benefits crochet can provide over the course of a lifetime, including stress relief, protection from mental decline, improved motor skills, and more. The gift of crochet is one that keeps on giving, so teaching a child in your life to crochet would seem an ideal way of paying it forward.”

An image of a child's hands holding a crochet hook and bulky yarn. One tip for crocheting with kids is to use smooth yarn and a large hook.
Tips for crocheting with kids: use the right tools: smooth yarn, an appropriate size hook, and good lighting.

Her number one tip for teaching children crochet is to use the right tools (smooth yarn, an appropriate size hook, and good lighting). 

Other important tips:

  • Break the process down into small steps.
  • Start with finger crochet.
  • Try simpler yarn crafts first (if crocheting with a hook is too challenging).
  • Read the rest of her tips in this article: 10 Tips for Teaching Children to Crochet

Ashlea from Heart Hook Home gives her tips for crocheting with kids:

A child measures a crocheted rectangle with a zipper.

In her article 12 Helpful Ways to Teach Children to Crochet, Ashlea has a lot of great tips for teaching children to crochet. Our favorites:

  • Have the child do as much of the work as possible.
  • Use small words (instead of crochet terms).
  • Give praise (and be specific). Be sure to give praise and give it often. Instead of “you’re doing a great job” try praising specific things such as “I like how you’re holding your hook”

Ashley from The Loopy Lamb talks about crafting with kids (even if they’re not ready for crochet):

Ashley is the crocheter behind The Loopy Lamb, a blog about crochet. “Crafting with kids can be used to teach things in a fun and creative way.  My son is in kindergarten and I’ve been using crafting to teach him about patterns, matching, and math. 

“Using some plastic beads, some scrap yarn and a darning needle, he makes jewellery for family members that we aren’t able to see right now because of the quarantine.  My 3 year old daughter has even been working with us and is picking things up.  We practice grouping the beads together in colours, adding and subtracting them to make sure we have what we need for our pattern and identifying repeats in a colour pattern I’ve asked them to create.”

A child holds a ball of yarn and is crocheting with their fingers. One tip for crocheting with kids is to start with finger crocheting.
Start with finger crochet to teach kids the basics of crochet.

Jessica Flowers (WeCrochet Test Crocheter) gives her #1 tip for crafting with kids:

My #1 tip for crafting with kids is patience! Lots and lots of patience. They will need it and so will you. Little hands aren’t as coordinated as ours so they have to do things a little different to achieve the same goal. Don’t expect them to do it perfect the first time. My daughter would not hold her yarn while crocheting. It was always hanging down and she would lay it over the hook and pick the loop up to slip over and off. A year later and she’s now holding the yarn and using the hook to pull the yarn through.”

Katy from KTandtheSquid’s top tip for success when crafting with kids:

“When it comes to crafting with kids have no expectations except there will be a mess. Crafting with my kids used to give me such anxiety because I knew it would end in a mess or them not exactly doing what I thought they would. But the less I stress about that stuff the more fun it is, for everyone. Plus, it teaches them to clean up after themselves when its all done.”

Related: See KTandtheSquid’s Kid Crochet Patterns.

Have you tried crocheting with your kids? Do you have any tips? Leave them in the comments!