A Golden Era of Crafting
Before smartphones and social media ruled the playground, the 1980s and 90s were a golden age of creativity for primary school kids. Craft crazes swept through classrooms and playgrounds, often homemade, always fun, and usually banned by teachers within weeks. These trends gave children an outlet for self-expression and a sense of community and some even required real skill.
Making friendship bracelets and beaded watch strap safety pin charms were a staple of my childhood. Same with collecting stickers, erasers and pencils.
Its so nostalgic to see the resurgence of some of these items. they are mostly hand made and given from friend to friend, collected as a symbol of basically how many friends you have, or how crafty your friends are !🥳
Here are some of the ones that i can remember, pls comment in the section below if i have forgotten any!
Safety clip charms
Bag pins were a easy and fun way to add colour to your bag or clothes. Stacked on your watch or attached directly to your clothes or bag, these colourful little dopamine pills were and still are the ultimate in diy craft requiring practically no skills or prior experience.
If you are more advanced in the beading front you can create little pixel designs such as the ones below to depict an image or pattern on the verticals.
household items such as safety pins are the perfect item to customise. I remember clearly collecting these beaded safety pins at school, when we were not allowed jewellery, it was a loop hole as technically it was just watch decoration.
This girl who i met at spitalfields market today (im here with goodordering every thursday) embodied the friendship bracelets vibe she had cool little trinkets embellishing almost every item of clothing and she was so sweet!
The Scoubidou Explosion
One of the biggest craft crazes of the late 90s was the Scoubidou (also spelled Scooby Doo), a colourful plastic cord used to weave charms, keyrings, and even belts. Originally popular in France in the 1960s, Scoubidou strings had a UK resurgence around 1999. Kids traded them, twisted them into spirals, and experimented with ever more complex patterns. You could spot them dangling from school bags, zippers, or even worn as bracelets. Mastering the cobra stitch was a rite of passage.
Friendship Bracelets and the Art of Gifting
Friendship bracelets were a mainstay from the late 80s through the 90s. Made from embroidery thread or wool, these colourful, knotted bands were often given as tokens of loyalty. Crafting them took patience, as each bracelet could take hours. Designs ranged from simple stripes to intricate chevrons and diamonds. Swapping them with best friends or classmates was a quiet ritual of connection one that teachers generally approved of.
Stacking the bracelets high along the arm was essential in showing off the colourful creations of your friends. These days there are adult versions of these bracelets and that look just as fabulous at a cocktail party or beach club as in the school yard.
Hama Beads and the Ironing Adventure
Hama beads (or Perler beads in the US) were a rainy day favourite. Kids arranged these tiny plastic beads on pegboards in colourful patterns, which were then fused together with an iron usually with a grown-up’s help.
Though mostly done at home, Hama bead creations often found their way into school bags to be shown off, traded, or gifted. Designs ranged from hearts and stars to logos and pixel art.
At Goodordering i have taken the hama bead idea and added my creations to charm bunches to hang off your hand bag, adding some playfulness to your designer handbag is a sign you are not taking luxury too seriously!
Paper Fortune Tellers (a.k.a. Cootie Catchers)
Almost every child of the 80s and 90s remembers the paper fortune teller. Easy to make with just a square of paper, this origami creation was used to predict everything from who you would marry to how many pets you have. Customisation was key some featured jokes, dares, or secret messages. They were banned in some classrooms for being too disruptive, which only made them more popular.
Loom Bands are back
Though loom bands wouldn’t boom until the 2010s, their spiritual ancestors were those woven elastic band bracelets and keychains. Kids used coloured rubber bands or gimp strings (similar to Scoubidou) to craft accessories and trinkets. They weren’t just fun to make they were currency in the playground economy.
My son makes me loom bands creations almost daily at his after school club, i wear them with pride and nostalgia and i couldn’t think of a better gift from my 7 year old son!
Beaded bracelets and the taylor swift phenomenon
Beaded friendship bracelets have surged back into popularity thanks to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, where fans trade handmade bracelets as tokens of connection. The trend was inspired by lyrics from her song”You’re On Your Own, Kid, which encouraged fans to make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.
This nostalgic ritual echoes the 80s and 90s primary school craze, when kids knotted embroidery thread into colourful bands to share with friends. Today’s beaded versions bring the same spirit of creativity and bonding only now, they’re swapped in stadiums rather than playgrounds, bridging generations through craft and shared experience.
Shrinky Dinks (1980s and 90s)
Drawings on special plastic sheets that shrank in the oven, turning into small charms and trinkets.
Pom poms
Utilising spare yarn, pom poms are arguably the OG of bag charms.
Painted Rocks (Various eras, revived 2010s)
Kids decorated rocks with designs or messages and hid them around playgrounds or parks to be found and re-hidden.
Summary
Though the tools and trends have changed, the spirit of primary school crafting lives on. Whether it was plaiting a friendship bracelet on the bus or trading Scoubidou charms behind the bike sheds, these handmade trends weren’t just crafts, they were acts of expression, creativity, and community.
Lets be honest: nothing beat the pride of making something with your own two hands.