These DIY dancing ribbon rings are super simple to make and so fun for kids to play with. Ribbon rings are such a fun homemade toy for music and movement and also make great party favors for a birthday party.
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After watching my two year old’s fascination with dancing ribbon rings at our local music class, I knew I had to make some for him to use at home!
If you’re not familiar with ribbon rings, they’re basically rings (large enough for small hands to hold) with ribbons streaming from them. Ribbon rings are wonderful toys for both outdoor and indoor play and inspire all kinds of dancing, twirling, and imaginative play! And the best part- they are super easy to make! (This post contains affiliate links.)
Safety Warning: Any string from toys or window blinds longer than 12 inches is considered a strangulation hazard for all children. The finished length of our ribbon ring streamers is 18 inches. DO NOT leave your child unattended with these toys.
How to Make Dancing Ribbon Rings
Materials for Dancing Ribbon Rings
- Ring (We used 3 inch wooden rings, but you can also use these smaller wooden rings or even shower curtain rings.)
- Ribbon in variety of colors (We decided to make rainbow ribbon rings so we used all the colors of the rainbow! Our ribbon was 1/4 inch wide and purchased at our local craft store. If you are unable to purchase your ribbon locally, there are some variety packs of ribbon online like this one.)
- Scissors
- Lighter or candle (optional)
Directions for Making Dancing Ribbon Rings
1. Cut your ribbon into 36 inch strips. (We used 7 different colors of ribbon, each 36 inches long, but you could use whichever colors you’d like.)
2. Tie ribbons onto the ring: Pull one 36 inch ribbon through the ring and stop when it’s halfway through.
Knot it twice onto the ring. You now have two 18 inch ribbons hanging from your ring. Do this for the remaining ribbons.
3. To keep your ribbon from fraying, quickly run the ends of the ribbons through a flame from a lighter or candle. This will melt the ends and seal them.
These dancing ribbon rings would make great handmade gifts for loved ones and wonderful stocking stuffers or goodies for an Easter basket!
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Larissa says
February 20, 2014 at 10:15 amI love this idea! I’m definitely pinning this one. I really like your suggestion to use it as a party favor. Such a sweet, open-ended toy!
Chelsey says
February 21, 2014 at 6:21 pmThanks so much, Larissa!
Kate Lloyd says
February 20, 2014 at 10:19 pmGorgeous and on my to do list
Lori says
February 21, 2014 at 4:51 pmHow many of these can you make from one spool?
Chelsey says
February 21, 2014 at 6:08 pmHi Lori~ My spools of ribbon each had 10 yards. And since I used 7 different colors, I was able to get 10 total ribbon rings made with my 7 spools. It all really depends on how long you want your ribbons! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Jill says
February 21, 2014 at 5:28 pmI love this idea! I am pinning this now so I can try it later.
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
Tiffany H. says
February 21, 2014 at 5:33 pmI’m curious what type of knotting you did. I made some of these about a month ago and I’m finding the knots don’t stay too well. So I was looking for a knot lesson. lol. Anyway, my kiddos love the ones I made. Such a great idea!
Chelsey says
February 21, 2014 at 6:21 pmHi Tiffany! I’ve tried a few ways. On some of the rings I started by tying a lark knot (or slip knot) and then tying two overhand knots. I loved how it looked, but it wasn’t as secure as just tying two overhand knots.
Jessie says
February 21, 2014 at 8:16 pmIf you tie it left ribbon over right, then right over left, it should lock it together. Could you also use dollar store bracelets?
Chelsey says
February 21, 2014 at 9:13 pmGreat ideas, Jessie! Dollar Store bracelets would make this super affordable and you could probably make a whole set for a classroom or music class!
Valerie says
March 3, 2014 at 7:57 amOoh, that is a fabulous idea! I have some in our dress-up stuff! 🙂
Amanda says
February 24, 2014 at 3:20 pmHi Chelsey! I see you are still posting on Craftgawker 🙂 I hope you’ll come back and post on Fun Family Crafts again! The traffic has really grown over the last two years and I would love to share some of it with you 🙂
Gude @HodgePodgeCraft says
February 25, 2014 at 7:35 amThese are so beautifully simple!
Thanks for sharing at #Pintorials 🙂
Dianna says
February 25, 2014 at 4:03 pmThese are completely GORGEOUS! Thanks so much for linking up on The Thoughtful Spot.
I’m off to follow the Handmade Toys Board, and pinning this post to my own boards!
I’d love to make these for my kids Easter baskets!
Jennifer @ Generation iKid says
February 27, 2014 at 7:21 amThanks for linking up with the Kids Co-Op party last week. I host it on Generation iKid as well as highlighted your post this week 🙂
Jennifer @ Generation iKid
http://www.generationikid.com
Rebecca says
March 1, 2014 at 5:30 amThis is so lovely and colourful. My girls love dancing. They’s adore it.
I’ve featured on The Sunday Showcase this week.
Kate Williams says
March 1, 2014 at 11:05 amThese are gorgeous! My son would love them 🙂 #pintorials
Jill says
March 2, 2014 at 10:20 pmThese are fantastic! Pretty and fun too!
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
Valerie says
March 3, 2014 at 7:58 amSuch a fun idea and beautiful photos to go with your tutorial!
Theresa (Capri + 3) says
May 23, 2014 at 5:33 pmPlease shere this on Artsy Play Wednesday. We will be featuring rainbow crafts in an upcoming round-up and this fits right in! It is open through Sunday.
Donna Howard says
October 12, 2015 at 6:06 pmI am a dancing teacher. I made these using shower curtain rings. My kids in my classes love them. Thanks for the great idea!
Chelsey says
October 12, 2015 at 7:59 pmLove the use of shower curtain rings!!
Fiona says
February 24, 2016 at 9:17 pmI am definitely going to try those dancing ribbon rings! They will be perfect for a rainy day when I have to take my daycare kids to the gym instead of playing outside. Bring some music and the ribbon rings, and we’ll be set for a fun afternoon. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas! The internet is a preschool teacher’s dream come true!
Wendy says
March 21, 2017 at 2:00 pmI made one of these to use as a fidget. I used a smaller ring and thin ribbons. It fits in my pocket so I’m able to keep it with me to help with my anxiety. It comes in very useful during therapy sessions; I find that I can talk more openly if I can fidget.
Chelsey says
March 21, 2017 at 5:10 pmI absolutely LOVE this idea! Thank you so much for sharing- I’m sure others will find this useful too!
Melinda says
April 22, 2018 at 11:36 pmSomething tells me I’m going to make one for myself, except use a thrift-shop bracelet. One of the rigid ones