Perler beads are one of my kids FAVORITE crafts right now. My kids are 5, almost 9 and almost 12 and all three will sit and do them for hours. I think perler beads are a great craft for any child over the age of four. It takes patience, so younger than four isn't a good idea!
If you aren't familiar perler beads are small beads that are placed on boards to make patterns. After the pattern is made, you simply place wax paper or parchment paper over the beads and iron on low heat. The beads will fuse/melt together. Then peal the beads off the tray, fold the paper over and melt the other side. This will make for a strong finished product. Be sure not to have water in your iron, as water might ruin the beads.
You can find perler bead patterns for anything imaginable — from Disney characters to superheroes, flowers to animals. Literally ANYTHING. In this post, I am going to share some of our favorite products + tips for success. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
All you need are a few peg boards + beads to get you started. If your children have never done perler beads, this starter set with a few trays + lots of beads is a great set, and it is affordably priced at $11. I also recommend these large square pegboards, because they allow for lots of flexibility to make anything your children can imagine.
I definitely recommend buying the Perler Bead brand of beads, as other ones sometimes don't melt as well.
Perler Beads
You can buy perler beads in buckets or in divided trays. The trays are really nice because the beads are divided by color. However, the separated trays are more expensive. We have some of each. The hunt for beads doesn't seem to bother my kids – it's all part of the process.
Perler Stripes and Pearlized Beads
Perler Beads Bulk Set 22,000 beads
Perler Tropical Colors Bead Tray
Perler Bead Pattern Books
Though you can find perler bead patterns galore online, we have found that a few pattern books are a nice analog way to create. We have also found patterns in books that are not available online.
For more patterns, check out the Kindle Unlimited library for the book Beadcrafts. Don't have Kindle Unlimited? Currently you can get it absolutely FREE for 2 months ($19.98 value). Add it to your account today.
Perler Bead Kits
I hope this post inspires you to get some perler beads for your children this summer. They will love them and you will love the hours of creativity.
Thanks for the links! I’ve seen them for years, but I haven’t known the name. I have always wondered, what do you do with them once they’re done/melted together?
Loved this
My kids love PERLER beads too! Do you have the large hex boards that is used in some of the patterns in the 110 Pattern book? I haven’t been able to find it anywhere.
Yes, we have the large square boards that are linked in this post. They hook together and work perfectly for the larger patterns.
Perler also makes biggie beads and beginner patterns for younger kids – my 3 year olds love them. The beads are bigger and easier to maneuver. I’ve found them online at amazon and in store at Joann.
Great to know!
We recently got a few projects from Michael’s but they turned out to be brittle and cracking with minor movement. I even ironed both sides to get them to stay. Have they changed their formula or did I just buy a bad batch?
I have not really had this happen, especially when ironing both sides. I wonder if you didn’t iron them long enough?