Bag Tag Craft Idea

 

This year I've launched a new program at MCA called Alpha and Omega where I've paired each Senior with a Kindergarten student and they'll meet about every 5-6 weeks. The time that they meet is SHORT (about 25 minutes) and I wanted to do a simple, easy, but meaningful little craft project on their first meeting so I came up with these beaded name bag tags. 

This is just a sample I made using a bunch of w's but it gives you the idea ;) 

Because time was going to be super limited I made a bag with each pairs names on a card and I put all the letter beads that they would need for each others names in the ziplock. Yes... I spelled out about 120 names with beads beforehand. hahahaha 

I bought a few sets of these bag clips (I didn't want it to be a traditional key ring because I wanted the kids to be able to clip them themselves) and cut a length of cord and doubled the cord, looped it through and then knotted it, securing it to the clip. 

I put two of the prepped keychains into each of the bags with the letter beads...

.... and set those out on the table with other bags of mixed beads. 

The kids beaded them as they pleased, knotted the ends (some tied their ends together to make a circle), and then "swapped" with their buddy.  So they now have each others names on their bags. Both the seniors and the kinder kids were SO PUMPED to have their buddies keychain on their backpack and it was seriously just the sweetest. 

I also made "get to know my buddy" pages for both the seniors and the kinders. The seniors filled them out on retreat and got the name of their buddy and had a chance to pray for them and the kinder students got theirs home in their backpacks to fill out at home along with the name of their buddy to pray over before the first meeting. When they met up for the first time they made their keychains and got to share their sheets. It was all super sweet. 

I feel like this turned out super well - it was meaningful (not something that's just going to go in the trash), was accessible to all ages (although some of the senior boys needed help tying their knots - hahaha), and was relatively inexpensive. I have a TON of beads leftover for next year and the feedback I received from both groups of kids and parents was all super positive. 

HAPPY Wednesday and happy crafting, y'all!