• Beading projects for all agesbead door image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  Beads come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which means they can be especially chosen for the nimble fingers of adults or the littler fingers of small children. Many bead projects require a small handful of beads, which makes them ideal for finishing off the few scattered pieces left over from a larger project.
  
  

Bead Buddies

• Make a beaded figure that can hang from a necklace, like the one at familyfun.go.com. Lay out your design before you string by putting beads on a piece of felt. Use one large bead for the head, a second large bead for the body, and smaller beads for the arms and legs.
  
  Fold a 10-inch piece of wire in half. Make a very small loop in the center of the wire to slide onto the chain of the necklace. Hold both ends of the wire together. Slide beads onto both ends at the same time to create first the head, then the body. Pull apart the two wires, and add beads to each one to create the legs. Knot the wire ends to hold in place.
  
  Wrap a four-inch piece of wire around the body so that there is one piece of wire on each side. Add small beads on each side to create the arms. Knot the wire at the end of each arm. Hang the figure on a chain and wear as a pendant.
  
  

Beaded Bookmark

• Cut three lengths of heavy string, each 2 feet long. Make a large knot at the end of each string. Put beads on the first 3 inches of each string, starting from the knot. Tie the strings together. Braid the strands together for 3 more inches. Bead each strand individually for 6 inches, then tie the strings together so that 5 inches of each of the three strings dangles freely. Bead each strand, then tie a large knot at the end. Dip the knot in glue to ensure that it holds.
  
  

Corn Magnet

• Make a magnet that resembles an ear of corn, like the one at FreeKidsCrafts.com. Choose beads that look like kernels of corn, especially those in yellow, orange and white colors. Cut two pieces of raffia, each 18 inches long. Hold both pieces together. Slide a bead over both pieces and slide it down to the middle of the pieces. Hold the bead in one hand, and the ends of the raffia in the other. You have four separate ends. Put seven beads on each of the four pieces of raffia. Hold the four ends together, and put one bead through all four pieces at the same time. Tie the ends together in an attractive knot. Trim the ends and glue it to a magnet.