Rubber Band Bracelets
Have you seen these rubber band bracelets yet? This is a huge craze for kids that hit some cities last year. In our area, we were first introduced to these a few months ago.
When I volunteered at VBS we found lots of children had these cute little bracelets on and one of my campers actually made a bracelet for me. My 5 year old loved them so we went on a mad hunt to try and figure out how to make them. It was ridiculous trying to find the darn kits- none of the craft stores carried them and “rubber band bracelet” didn’t turn up much for me online.
So finally we found the Rainbow Loom kit and my (now) 6 year old has been making bracelets like crazy.
If you are interested in getting one of these kits for your child, I have details about what comes in the kit below and then scroll down to the bottom for resources to actually make different patterned bracelets.
My little girl has been making bracelets like crazy and even took the kit when we went out to dinner.
She made bracelets for the entire family (including Grandpa and Daddy) and made little matching bracelets for the two of us to wear:
You can make the bracelets thicker, add charms to them, make rings… there are a lot of different ways to use these kits. I do recommend buying a kit to get started because here is what you will get:
The Loom- this is what you use for some of the more complicated designs. For the simple bracelets you don’t need the loom but it is nice to have it. The kit also comes with a little Crochet Hook that you can see my daughter using above and a blue thingy that you use to hold one of the bracelets and to get them started off of.
Plus 600 Rubberbands in assorted colors
And the little plastic clips (called C Clips) that attach the bracelet.
There are two major kits to choose from- the first one is the Rainbow Loom and that is the one we have. It looks like this:
It is $14.99 at Michael’s Stores (note: store coupons do exclude the Rainbow Loom)- which is a great price because you will get 600 Rubber Bands. (The adult size bracelet I am wearing above is 25 rubberbands- so that is a lot of bracelets!)
You can also find the Rainbow Loom kit at Learning Express stores for $14.99. You might check your local store because many of them have free classes on different patterns to make with the kit.
If you don’t feel like driving around- or you want to send this off as a gift- you can order from Amazon here.
The other big option is the Cra-z-Loom kit from Toys R Us. This one is $14.99 as well. I am not seeing much of a difference in the kits- we decided on the Rainbow Loom and have had great luck with it. I did check out the Cra-z-loom and the bands didn’t seem as stretchy to me and I was disappointed with the colors. I thought they would be shimmery or glittery or bright like the box suggests but I did not find that to be the case in store.
And if you want additional rubber bands, those are pretty reasonably priced right now.
You can get 600 rubberbands plus 24 C-Clips for $5.50 shipped from Amazon.
You can also choose the individual colors and get those for about $6 with shipping fees– I just picked up the Glow in the Dark ones!
It looks like the refills for the Cra-z-loom might be a little cheaper at 900 for $5.99 in Toys R Us stores but I don’t think they come with the C-Clips.
So there you have it! Once you get your kit Michael’s has made some easy to follow you tube videos here. (Just scroll down)
So that is the scoop on these really cute rubberband bracelets! And note these are not just for little girls! Boys can make these as well! Team colors would be really fun- my husband is a soccer fan so he got a bracelet in Yellow and Green (for the Brazil national team) and it looks great!
You can see lots more craft ideas for children on my Pinterest board here.
And you can see the cute little case I customized for my little girl here for her Rainbow Loom. The total cost was just $5!
Thanks for this info! Five Below has packages (I think of 300)for 3 for $5.00.
Thanks Linda, I have never heard of Five Below. I would just be careful with the quality :). I question when things are absolutely dirt cheap- the rubber bands may not be as stretchy. I know someone suggested an item I usually pay $.50 for is available at the .99 store for $.10 each and it was a total waste of my time to go. The product was junk and was not even worth $.10. Could be exactly the same thing too- I would just check that out before you invest in a lot of bands.
Very cute! But don’t they catch/snag little arm hairs? I’m imagining they could hurt!
Thanks for the info. These look fun to make. The Toys-R-Us link is a store locator. Are all of the stores having the event each Saturday? Or do you need to call and confirm?
And are there instructions online to make the wide bracelets like in the top photo posted above?
Cathy, yes you can check the You Tube videos I linked to at the bottom for all the different styles. The Toys R Us page that I linked to shows up with the details of the event for me. If that is not what you see, simply click on Cra-Z-Loom from the homepage and you can click around there to get the details.
Lanya,
I just rolled it up and down on my arm and felt nothing at all. I have worn these for a few days straight and had the same experience. Grandpa wore his bracelet for 2 days and he didn’t say a word. He actually asked my little girl to make one for his lady friend because he liked it so much ;).
I also asked my husband who is hairier than I am and he said he didn’t notice it. You might be thinking of regular rubber bands that have that sort of grabby texture on them- these do not. They are stretchy but smooth.
Thank you! I can’t wait to get these for my daughter who is 7 and loves crafts like these! 🙂 14.99 at Micheals is a great price!
Sara- come back and tell me what she thinks of it! I totally think it is worth the money except one tip is to put all the clips and rubber bands in a Ziploc. We left it in the box and it fell inside the car. All the c-clips are now squooshed into the seat railings on the floor and I had to buy replacements 😉
We got one this summer and has been a hit at our house! Thanks for the reminder to order more rubber bands! I am going to start giving this as birthday and Christmas gifts!
This has been the rage around me for some time. All 3 of my kids have their own loom. We did buy them at Learning Express but they were not $19.99, they were $14.99. My Michaels has the kits as well but no extra bands. The resources listed here are great – places to go for more bands.
We give this plus a cheap plastic toolbox (Lowe’s) as a great gift!
Lisa- I was thinking of stopping by Lowe’s and seeing what they had. The boxes at the craft stores are always too big. Great tip! I did call Michael’s today and they have extra bands- I think the stores are getting it all in as we speak.
Learning Express has boxes that fit the Rainbow Loom perfectly. There is a spot for the loom itself and then individual spots for the rubber bands and clasps. They will personalize it for free. Well worth it to keep it all together and separate!
Your timing on this post is great. My neighbor was making these outside the other day and it was the first I had seen of them.
So, how young of a girl do you think could handle making these? Can your younger daughter make these also and does she like them? My about-to-be-4-year-old is very crafty but I’m thinking that might be a little young… What do you think? Thanks!
Jill, I have a 4 year old- she turned 4 in May and this is too much for her. Her big sister is the crafter though so Adriana could have done this but my little one would never sit still for this. We actually don’t use the looms yet- I am going to take her to a class to learn that- if you see at the Pizza Place picture she just uses the little hook that comes in the kit to make them. The result is the bracelets we are wearing. Do you think she can manage that? It is great for fine motor skills!
Charlene, We got the Cra-Z-Loom today and my daughter loves it. She is using the Loom to make them which is a little difficult to do because they seem to fall off easy. I think we will us the hook when we make them again. Thanks for the post. I am always looking for crafts for them to do because both my girls are very active and need some down time. 🙂
I needed to buy a gift for a friend of my daughters. I was told she like crafty things. So I bought this the review seemed so wonderful. I live in Louisville, KY area and the Michael’s I visited had a ton of them. They also had packs for bands (600 + clips) for $3.99. Conveniently next to the display was a bead organizer box. I thought that be helpful to her parents anyway 😉
If you buy the Cra-z-loom ultimate refill pack how many clips do you get? If it doesn’t have any where can you get them?
I don’t think the refills have the clips. I looked at them today and couldn’t see any. I didn’t open the box though so I might be wrong. I am pretty sure you can get them at craft stores. They do come in the packages for the Rainbow Loom refills.
I know so many kids who love this! But I found the original Rainbow Loom (bands are MUCH better quality, they don’t stretch) and are only $14.99 at ACEeducational.com. They also have the organizer cases, charms, and the packs of bands for $3.99 (I think you get 600 bands per bag)
My son just came home from school yesterday with one that his friend had made for him. I had never seen them before – now I want one! how fun and colorful!
I have two rainbow loom from Michaels the price are $16.99 they have a refill rubber band for a $3.99 each bag with c-clips and I like it a lot. even I buy from rainbowloom.com, almost the same price of the store with the shipping but they have more color than the store.
I buy a refill rubber band from toy r us, I didn’t like because they smell funny like a gasoline specially the black one, so I prefer the rainbow loom refill rubber band.
ladies these bracelets are so neat. Kids are really likiing them. You can go to sally;s hair supply they have the black ones and bags of multi colored. Walmart have black only.
Just popped onto this site to see what you had to say about these rubber band bracelets! I work at a Michaels store, and just wanted to correct that the Rainbow Loom are $16.99 in store, and we sell the rubber band refills for $3.99 each, both of which are excluded from coupons as you said. And yes we do sell out very quickly, although it seems like we have been keeping them in stock better now that we know they are such a hot item. Such a cool gift and activity!
Thanks Megan, hopefully people find a cheaper price but I don’t want to make any promises without the price advertised by Michael’s. I believe it has gone down a little since they came out at my store so $16.99 sounds right to me.
My daughter uses the rainbow loom one and loves it. We have tried a lot of the different bands. I get hers from Learning Express. The only bands that are worth the money are the ones from rainbow loom and the tie dye ones marked top trenz. The others break or twist when she is used them. The learning express near me had almost 20 different colors. I bought some fun charms there too.
I live in Puerto Rico and we don’t have Michaels here. Believe it or not, Walgreens has a bag of 500 rubberbands (go to the hair section) for $1.39!!! Yay!! I have bought a dozen of these. They come in colors or plain black. http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/super-stretch-rubber-bands/ID=prod6031149-product
These are exactly the same as the ones the cra-z-loom brings.
I just ordered a 626 piece set from nomoreracks.com. Only $8, free shipping and no tax! Comes with 5 s clips, 1 loom and 600 rubber bands in all different colors! Sounded like a fantastic deal to me!
Randi,
I don’t usually post deals from No More Rack because they have a little bit of a reputation of not being very reputable. I am sure your order will be fine though. Just note with 5 clips you can only make 5 bracelets. If you buy the refill packs at Michaels or Learning Express, those come with extra c hooks. There are 2 extra pieces that your kit won’t come with- it looks like that is only the hook in your kit. In the Rainbow Loom kit it comes with a loom and the crochet hook plus this other piece that can be used a base for making bracelets. At $15 or so I feel pretty comfortable with the quality of what we got from the Rainbow Loom 🙂
You can actually make the loom yourself with a block of wood and nails, AC Moore has videos on their store site that shows you how. i did this and it works great, better than plastic and less than $1.00
Liz, is that safe for children? A block of wood and nails? My daughter is 6 and I wouldn’t be comfortable with that. I think I am OK with spending $15 on something a child will get a lot of use from. If you want to save the few dollars it sounds like there are lots of other options available.
I use it with kids who are 7, 10 and 12 with no problems. I will always opt out for something that is not plastic, and that is not made overseas. I found it to be a great solution when the “plastic” one was not available.
Liz, I have to commend you. I need to remember to try and opt out of things that are made overseas as much as possible. I also love showing my girls how easy it is to make your own alternative whenever possible. My daughters were fighting over our loom and I hammered two nails into a mason jar top so they could make the “fishtail” kind. They thought it was so cool!
Oh gosh. I do make a lot of things myself Sarah. I guess I must not be understanding because nails in a jar lid or hammered into a board sounds dangerous to me. I would be very uncomfortable with that. Don’t you have sharp exposed nails on the underside of the lid? And you’d have to sand a board for awhile and then seal it or paint it to avoid sharp edges that can get stepped on or splinters…. My little girl sits with her face a few inches from the loom so I wouldn’t use varnish but a nontoxic paint. And they can’t really take the loom anywhere else right? You couldn’t pop it in a backpack to take to a friend’s house or school. Obviously I am not understanding because this just doesn’t seem safe to me. My big girl is pretty responsible but if you have smaller children in the house or that might possibly visit something like that could really be dangerous.
If you have the Loom kit then one child can use the loom and the other can use the blue base piece right? So there are two pieces to make bracelets in the kit or the loom is long enough for each child to sit on one end right? My daughter does the fishtail ones too and she can use either of the two pieces from the Rainbow Loom to make those bracelets.
Sorry Charlene, the block of wood that I use is about 1 1/2 ” thick and about 4″ Square. I hammered two nails that had large flat heads into it, the nails stand about 2″ out of the block. I found it on the AC Moore site and thought of it as a quick fix for 2 kids who wanted to make the bracelets but had no loom. The site also tells you directions for different styles from this loom. Being that I am a babysitter for these kids and needed entertainment, it was a small amount for a lot of peace,
LOL- good call Liz. I am all for a bit of peace ;).
Did anyone try the Walgreen’s rubber band that somebody posted above? Are those good alternative?
AC Moore has buy 3 for 5 right now on all solid color bands, i am not a fan of this store, but this is a good deal
You don’t need a loom for the simpIe bracelets! Just fold the first band in half, slip thru the plastic connector that come in the bags of bands, fold the next band in half, slip thru both loops, & coninue. Finish by slipping both loops of the last band into the connector. To make the fishtail bracelet just use your index and middle finger instead of a loom or block of wood with two nails.
Found the loom kit with 600 bands at Walgreens yesterday for $10.99. Best price I have seen yet.
Carla,
Is that the actual Rainbow Loom? Or is it a Walgreens brand or other brand of loom that they have imported?
I am in need of help with this kit. I guess i don’t understand the instructions on how to make a bracelet. So, if someone could help. I already ck’d UTube.. Thanks
Cannot figure out the rubber bands….if anyone could please help me…
Where can I just get the C clip?
Liz– did you make a loom with more than 2 posts? We made the simple one, but now my son wants to make a hexafish, which requires more than 2 posts.
We have the loom also. My daughter – who is six – actually learned to make these by just using two #2 pencils. She learned at her after school program after I bought the loom! So now I just use it….
The dollar store has the rubber bands for $2 for 300 bands. They are suprisingly very high quality. They also carry the loom for $10, which was also great for my daughter!
What blue thingy????????
Bob, It is a blue plastic base. I don’t know how to describe it. You can see it clearly pictured in the second photo down. You can see another shot of it here:
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2013/09/how-to-organize-rubber-band-bracelets-rainbow-looms/
It is in the top right corner.
The loom at Micheals is $16.99 no discounts
would like the instructions here for different bracelets here rather than “trappsing all over the net and utube. Enjoy your column! Thank you for your ideas.