Rubber Band Looms 101

So, you’re thinking about buying your family a rubber band loom kit. Everyone seems to be making them, but it seems like a big investment for a craft project your kids might enjoy. Should you take the plunge?

Dollar Store Loom Band: I considered purchasing a Rainbow Loom Kit this summer, but the idea of rubber bands overtaking our home derailed the purchase. We actually tried our first rubber band knock off loom about a month ago when my husband brought one home as a surprise. His co-workers were all wearing rainbow loom creations from their kids, so he bought a $2 loom/hook set and a few bags of cheap rubber bands with “S” clips.

How Do I Use This Thing? The kit came with zero instructions, we turned to YouTube for help. I’m embarrassed to say that the loom baffled me, especially with the hooking under and over. It definitely proved too complex and frustrating an introduction to rubber band bracelets for my 5 and 7 year-olds.

Fingers and Forks for Beginners: I didn’t want to give up on the process, however, so I decided to find a beginner’s video to help us work our way up to the loom band. We discovered how to make simple bracelets on our fingers first, then found fork loom tutorials. This boosted our confidence, but the bands cut off circulation in our fingers. We went through a few hundred cheap bands this way, discovering different patterns, and decided to order more.

Mini Looms and Monster Tail Looms to the Rescue: Since we are in the UK this summer, I was lucky enough to find this kit on Amazon UK (I’ve since purchased a second kit). It includes higher quality rubber bands, C and S clips, as well as a mini loom and monster tail loom. The two-pronged mini loom easily mimicked the fingers and fork without the pain and the monster tail loom allowed for more fun, complex patterns.My 5 year-old also gained confidence using the mini loom and can make his own bracelets as well. I eventually graduated to the regular loom (the kids still don’t like it), but actually prefer the monster tail.

Quality Matters: At this point, I can see a higher quality loom and most definitely a metal hook in our future, as well as one of these hexafish looms. Many advanced and intermediate patterns put a strain on the loom, hooks, and bands, so quality matters. I’m happy we tested things out on lower quality looms and bands first, though, because it allowed us to test, try, and break bands without worrying about the initial investment.

Top Tips for Rubber Band Loom Beginners

1. Try a Mini Loom or Monster Tail Loom First (or a fork). It’s a simpler way to learn and to correct mistakes.
2. Practice with Lower Quality Bands and Tools.
3. Learn the Basics First. Don’t jump past beginner tutorials.
4. Buy a Storage Case – Rubber bands go everywhere.
5. Make it a Family Affair. You can chat while you loom and enjoy a fun activity together!
6. Invest in Quality Tools. If you love to loom, purchase the real deal to avoid the frustration of broken bands and tools.

This post includes links to my Loom Band Pinterest Page, as well as links to my Amazon affiliate account. For more information and tutorial links, go here.