How to Weave with Drinking Straws for Kids

If you’ve ever wanted to try weaving with your kids but thought it looked too complicated, I have the perfect project for you: weaving with drinking straws!

Yes, those simple plastic or reusable drinking straws you already have in your kitchen drawer can turn into a weaving loom. It’s easy, portable, and completely mesmerizing for kids (and adults too). This is one of those activities that’s just as fun to do at the kitchen table on a rainy afternoon as it is to set up outside in the sunshine.

In our house, this craft started as a spur-of-the-moment “let’s try this” kind of project, and it quickly became a favorite. There’s something so satisfying about watching the yarn wrap around, creating colorful patterns. Plus, the finished weavings can be turned into bracelets, bookmarks, wall hangings, or even gifts for friends.

And beyond just being fun, weaving with straws is packed with learning:

• Fine motor skills: Kids work on coordination as they guide the yarn up and over.
• Focus and patience: It’s repetitive and calming (in the best way).
• Creativity: Color choices and patterns are completely up to them.
• Math and patterns: Weaving naturally introduces sequences and simple patterns.

This post will walk you through why you’ll love this activity, the materials you need, and a super detailed step-by-step guide on how to weave using three drinking straws.

Why You’ll Love Weaving with Drinking Straws

• It’s ridiculously easy. Even if you’ve never done a single weaving craft before, this one is beginner-friendly.
• It’s portable. You can do it at home, in the backyard, on a picnic blanket, or even while camping.
• It’s inexpensive. Straws, tape, yarn, and scissors—that’s it.
• It keeps kids engaged. Once they get the rhythm of weaving, most kids get completely absorbed in the process.
• It makes something useful. When the weaving is done, you can make a bracelet, headband, bookmark, or keychain.

Materials You’ll Need

• 3 drinking straws (plastic, paper, or reusable straws all work)
• Yarn in different colors
• Tape (masking tape or painter’s tape works best)
• Scissors

That’s really all you need.

Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Weave with Drinking Straws

This is where the fun begins. Get ready to set up your simple weaving loom in less than five minutes.

Step 1: Prepare Your Straws

Take three drinking straws. These are going to be your “loom.” Line them up side by side so they are even.

Use a piece of tape to hold the three straws together at the top. The tape should wrap around all three straws so they stay in place as one unit, like three legs taped together at one end.

Tip: Leave a little space at the top (about half an inch) so the tape doesn’t cover the entire opening of the straws. You want the yarn to slide through later.

Step 2: Thread the Base Strings (Warp Threads)

In weaving, the vertical strings that stay in place are called the warp threads. Cut three pieces of yarn that are long enough so that you have about 5 inches on either end of the straw.

Push one piece of yarn through each straw. You can thread it by hand, but a trick that helps is to use a drinking straw like a needle:

• Cut a small piece of tape and wrap it tightly around the end of the yarn so it becomes stiff like a shoelace.
• Push the yarn through the straw.

Pull the yarn through so that it sticks out of both ends.

Important: Make sure there’s a good amount of yarn sticking out at the top and the bottom of each straw.

Step 3: Tie the Top Ends Together

Gather the three top ends of the yarn (the ones sticking out of the taped-together end of the straws). Tie them in a knot. This knot will hold everything in place while you weave. Next, tape the straws to a table or a clipboard to make the weaving loom easier to work with.

Step 4: Position Your Straws

Spread out the bottoms of the straws slightly so they’re like three parallel lines. The straws are now acting as little tunnels that hold your warp threads in place.

The loose ends of the yarn hanging out of the bottom of the straws are what you’ll tie together at the end, so just let them hang for now.

Step 5: Choose Your Weaving Yarn

Pick the color of yarn you want to start weaving with. Cut a long piece (about 2–3 feet) to start. This is called the weft yarn. Tie the end of this yarn around the one of the straws at the outside of your loom.

Step 6: Start Weaving

Now the fun part! You’ll be going over-under-over with the yarn around the straws.

1. Start with the yarn in front of the first straw.
2. Pass the yarn behind the second straw.
3. Bring it in front of the third straw.
4. Then wrap around and come back the other way:
   • Behind the third straw, in front of the second, behind the first.

You’re basically going over one, under the next, over one, and back.

Step 7: Keep Weaving

Keep repeating the over-under pattern. After a few passes, gently push the yarn up toward the top so the weaving is snug.

As you weave, a braided, flat band will begin to form. You’ll notice a pattern start to appear pretty quickly.

Tips for Success:

• Don’t pull too tightly or the weaving will bunch up.
• Use your fingers to press the yarn neatly into place as you go.

Step 8: Changing Colors

When you want to switch colors, simply tie the end of the first color to the beginning of the next color with a small knot. Trim any excess yarn. Continue weaving with the new color.

The knots will be hidden in the weaving as you keep going.

Step 9: Finishing the Weaving

When your weaving is as long as you’d like (this might be a bracelet length, a headband, or even a bookmark), stop weaving and leave a few inches of loose yarn at the end. Tie the end to one of the end straws. A single knot is ok for now. You will tighten it after the straws are removed.

Carefully slide the straws, one at a time, out from the weaving. Tighten the knot now and secure with another knot. The base threads will now be loose. If you weave is misshaped as you pull it off, you can flatten it out on the table and fix it.

Step 10: Tie Off the Ends

Take the three warp threads at the bottom and tie them into a knot so the weaving doesn’t unravel. Now you have a finished woven band!

Step 11: Decide How to Use It

• Bracelet: Wrap it around your wrist and tie the ends together.
• Bookmark: Trim the ends neatly and keep it flat.
• Headband or Belt: Make it longer for a wearable accessory.
• Gift: Kids love giving these to friends or grandparents.

Extra Tips and Variations

• Pattern Play: Alternate colors every few rows to make stripes.
• Chunky Yarn: Try using thicker yarn for a cozy, soft texture.
• Variety: Experiment with 4 or 5 straws once your kids get the hang of 3.
• Portable Craft: Take it on vacation or to the park. Just tape the top to a clipboard, and it’s ready to go anywhere.

Why Weaving with Straws Is Worth Trying

This is one of those activities that kids will sit and do quietly for ages. The process is repetitive and calming, and when they see the weaving grow longer and longer, there’s such a sense of pride.

And unlike some crafts that get tossed aside, these woven bands can be turned into something they can wear or use. That little bit of purpose makes kids extra excited to finish.

Weaving with drinking straws is a craft you’ll want to keep coming back to. It’s simple, inexpensive, and so engaging for kids of all ages. You only need three straws, some yarn, and a little bit of time to create something beautiful.

The next time your kids say, “I’m bored,” grab three straws and some yarn and see what happens. You might just end up with a pile of colorful woven bracelets by the end of the afternoon!