My oldest son recently had so much fun creating things with parachute cord, or paracord. He loved the variety of knots you can tie or weaves you can do to create different looks whether that be bracelets, keychains, or even ninjas. I think his favorite part is that he can create something for himself. He loves the look of it and getting the chance to do it himself. He is so proud when he’s finished one, as I am as well! I will say he does need help with figuring out the tutorials, and of course we help him singe the ends of the cord or fuse them together when it’s needed. Adults should always be involved when it comes to burning or fire of any kind.

While we are definitely NOT experts on making paracord bracelets, I wanted to give a run-down of the beginner basics based off of what we have experienced and are using. There is really not much you need to get started, but there are SO MANY options for everything you can do with it.

Target Age for Handicrafter

My son could do this with help at the age of 7 while my daughter at 9 loved working on it as well. She could follow the tutorials much better than my son at 7 years old. She would also help him to begin and finish his when the parents weren’t available when he wanted us. :)

Ideal age: 5-10 with adult help, 11+ should be able to do it alone with minimal help with just the lighter (ages may vary based on child’s abilities)

Amount of materials needed: minimal, but many options can add up

Basic of Basics

To get started, you really just need 2 things: paracord and a lighter. Most people would want a buckle as well, but you can find many tutorials on different ways to make them without anything but the paracord. We enjoyed the buckle in learning so I’ll list it in this basic of basics:

• 550 paracord – for 1 single-color bracelet, you’ll use most of a 10′ package so plan on at least 8′ for each bracelet. It really depends on what type of paracord bracelet you’re making but the basic one uses about this amount.
• a lighter to singe the ends of the cord to keep it together
• 3/8″ buckle, or 3/4″ for larger designs (we started with 3/8″ for a basic bracelet)
• scissors sharp enough to cut the paracord

A Few Other Extras to Begin

• Jig – holder for the bracelet while you tie the knots. There are many other types. This is the one they had at Hobby Lobby when we bought ours.
• Fids – like large metal needles to help when the cords get tight towards the end

Tutorials To Get You Started

• Basic bracelet
• Corkscrew bracelet
• Dragon Teeth bracelet
• Ninja Turtle keychains or figures (We made these in different colors to just make ninjas as well. The black one looked awesome to me and was my favorite.)
• Baby Yoda/The Child from The Mandalorian
• Monkey Fist Keychain (I will add that there are tutorials on not using a ball/marble inside, but I found that those did not turn out as well for us and that I liked using the ball with it. Feel free to look for other tutorials that do not use a ball inside!)

Where To Buy Supplies

• Amazon – 10′ cord bundle, 3/8″ buckles, 3/4″ buckles, 20′ cord bundle with buckles and other accessories are some products we have ordered and been pleased with.
• Craft stores (We bought our jig, paracord, and buckles to get started at Hobby Lobby, but I’m sure other craft stores have similar limited selection in their stores.)
• Bored? Paracord!
• West Coast Paracord

A Few of our Examples