Red Ribbon Awareness Craft

Support World AIDS Day on December 1!

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

December 1 is World AIDS Day. Make this simple red ribbon craft with your kids to support AIDS awareness. They can pin it on their backpacks, their hoodies or their miniskirts. (Is it just us, or are the skirts getting shorter and shorter each year?) Wearing the red ribbon shows that you share messages of hope, compassion and understanding about AIDS.

Red ribbon:
Either the fancy satin kind or the present-wrapping kind will work.
A glue gun:
Kids and hot glue don't mix, so make sure you do all the gluing.
Safety pins
Bling (optional):
Red rhinestones, glitter, buttons or beads as sparkly accents.

Cut several pieces of ribbon, about five inches long.
Give a piece of ribbon to your child and have her lay it in front of herself horizontally.
Take a piece for yourself so you can demonstrate as you create the ribbons.
First, have your child put her right finger in the middle of the ribbon.
Next, show her how to pick up the left end of the ribbon and fold it down, so it's pointing at her.
Using her hand (with her finger still on the center of the ribbon), have your child repeat the movement with the right end of the ribbon, folding it down so it's pointing at them and crosses over the left end. (Look at the pictures above if you're totally confused!)
Using the glue gun, put a small dab of glue under the cross-over point and press down to secure.
If you want to jazz up your ribbon, glue on some red rhinestones, glitter, buttons or beads.
When the glue is dry, help stick the safety pins through the ribbons and then onto shirts or jackets or backpacks.
Encourage your kid to make enough ribbons for her friends, classmates or neighbors. The more support, the better!
Use the ribbon-making time as an opportunity to talk with your child about what World Aids Day means. Not sure where to start? Check out Talking With Kids for tips on what to say.