It’s Hanukkah and one of its main traditions is to light a menorah which is why we’re making this Hanukkah Menorah Necklace! Holiday jewelry making is a fun way for kids to participate in the holiday and learn about its history and traditions. Children will love customizing their own Hanukkah menorah necklace to wear during the Festival of Lights.
This DIY is really simple to make with felt, beads and some string – all of which you can find at a craft store, dollar store and of course, Amazon.
Necklaces not your child’s thing? You can make the menorah the same way shown here and style it into a brooch pin, hair clip or even a tie clip for a dapper little fella!
Materials
- Small Wooden Beads, Yellow
- Felt, Light Blue, Dark Blue and White (make sure the felt is the thicker kind, not the super soft, fuzzy kind)
- Blue Embroidery Thread (you can also use a stretchy cord or other string for jewelry making)
- Blue and White Beads (optional and not required if you’re making a tie clip, brooch etc.)
- Scissors
- Glue (I prefer hot glue)
Steps
Cut a piece of blue embroidery thread to your desired length for the child’s necklace. This will depend on high you want the necklace to sit on the child.
String 9 yellow beads from the onto the blue thread.
Use the light blue felt strips to cut out small little candles for the menorah. You will need 8 candles that are about 1” tall and one candle that is about 2” tall for the centre candle (the shamash). It is easier to cut one long and thin strip first and then make 8 snips in it so the candles are relatively uniform in size.
Hot glue each of the candles onto the yellow beads.
Next, use a white or dark blue felt strip and cut it to half its width. This will be the horizontal part of the menorah.
Hot glue each of your candles onto the piece of felt you just cut. I glued the 8 smaller candles along the edge of the felt piece and I glued the centre candle higher above. This way, the shamash stands taller than the rest of the candles to give the menorah its recognizable shape.
You’re done making the menorah! Use blue and white beads to personalize your necklace.
Tie a knot at the end of your necklace and you’re ready to wear!
What type of glue to use for your Hanukkah Menorah Necklace:
Although you can technically use white glue with felt, I find that it’s a lot easier and faster to use hot glue when securing felt to wooden beads. For this reason, this is definitely a craft that requires adult supervision due to the hot glue and the small parts, depending on the age of the child.
Want more Hanukkah crafts? Check out our Easy Hanukkah Handmade Cards With Pipe Cleaners.
