Maker Monday: Kids can make these cool kindness keychains

Photo above courtesy of 4th grade JAM students at Fox Chapel’s Hartwood Elementary.

As we did last week, Kidsburgh is happy to be bringing you another kindness-themed Maker Monday project from classrooms around our region that have participated in the #bethekindkid Kindness in Action Campaign.

This fun project lets kids make beautiful keychains from recycled materials.

“Our group made Kindness Keychains because we wanted to show kindness to people that we appreciate within our school,” says 4th-grade teacher Jess Papcunik from Hartwood Elementary in the Fox Chapel Area school district.

“Kindness keychains are a way to reuse materials to create something new while spreading joy to other people. The intention is for the person that receives the keychain to attach it to their keys or a bag to remind them that people appreciate them and as an outward reminder of how important kindness is.”

You’ll find all the instructions below, along with a step-by-step video:

As with all Maker Monday projects, the steps are easy and this project can be done with items you may already have around the house or can easily get. A note to kid makers: Please work with a parent or caregiver on any Maker Monday project and always be very careful when using tools of any kind.

“We have already had requests from teachers and students that they would like to spread kindness by giving a keychain to someone important in their life. Our goal is that if we keep making our Kindness Keychains we can keep the kindness flowing throughout our school and community. We hope you will join us in making and sharing Kindness Keychains with others!”

Maker Monday supplies you’ll need:

• cotton t- shirts (these can be old t-shirts in your school colors or any colors of your choice)
• keychain clip (ordered from Amazon — they have many kinds of keychain clips and carabiners for as little as a dollar or two)
• scissors
• optional Materials: acrylic keychain blanks, vinyl stickers, Mod Podge, notecards (see below)

Maker Monday directions:

Step 1: Ask people in your school or community to donate old t-shirts in your school colors or colors of your choice.

Step 2: Cut the shirts into strips about 2 inches wide. To do this, start at the bottom and cut off the bottom hem (then throw the hem away). Next, cut a strip about 2 inches wide from the bottom of the shirt. Continue this until you reach the sleeves of the shirt. You will end up with large loops of fabric that look like this:

Step 3: Cut each large loop in one spot to create a long piece of fabric.

Step 4: Select three pieces of fabric (you may want to pick three different colors). Holding the three pieces together, tie the fabric pieces in a knot around the flat piece of the keychain clip. Pull it tight so that it doesn’t come untied.

Step 6:When your braid is long enough (you decide), tie the ends of the pieces of fabric together. To make it tight, tie one piece of fabric around the other two and then make a knot with all three pieces of fabric.

Step 7: Trim the end of the fabric at the top and bottom of the braid to make them look nice.

Optional Step 1:
Add a thank you note and deliver the keychains to important people in your school or community to show that you appreciate them!

Optional Step 2:
Add an acrylic keychain blank and decorate it with vinyl stickers or markers. Use Mod Podge to seal the design on the acrylic.

Here is our final product, be delivered to important people at our school on World Kindness Day, Nov. 13:

Want more at-home fun making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here.

Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activities to info@kidsburgh.org.