The fishtail is the bracelet most kids learn first on a Rainbow Loom, and it is a good one to learn alongside them. Djamila shows the whole thing up close in her video: a black band twisted onto two pins, two bands of each rainbow colour, and one move repeated until the bracelet is long enough. It takes about twenty minutes the first time and ten once your hands know it.
What you need to make a Rainbow Loom bracelet
- A loom. The Rainbow Loom kit comes with the loom, a hook, a starter pack of bands and clips. The fishtail only uses two pins.
- A hook. The plastic one in the kit works. A metal hook grips the bands better and lasts longer.
- Bands. For this bracelet: four black bands and six of each colour (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink).
- A C-clip or S-clip. Either one closes the bracelet. S-clips are a little easier for small fingers.
Fishtail on the loom or on two fingers
You do not need a loom for a fishtail. Any two upright posts work. Hold up your index and middle finger, twist the first band into a figure-8 across them, and follow the same steps, lifting the bottom band over each finger tip. Two pencils taped to a table edge work too. The loom keeps the work steady and frees both hands, which matters more for children than for adults.
Colour pattern ideas
Rainbow order is the classic: two of each colour, repeated three times. Once you know the pattern, swap the colours freely.
- School colours or a favourite team, alternating two and two.
- Red and green with a white band between them for Christmas.
- Orange and black for Halloween.
- One solid colour with glitter bands every few rows.
- All black ends, as in the video, which makes the rainbow pop.
Sizing a bracelet to a child's wrist
Bands stretch, so a loom bracelet is forgiving. Wrap the unfinished bracelet around the wrist before you take it off the loom. It should meet with the clip and still slide over the hand. A young child's wrist usually needs four or five fewer bands than an adult's. To lengthen it, add a few more black bands at the end or run one more set of colours.
Troubleshooting a fishtail bracelet
- The bracelet unravels at the start. The first band was not twisted. Only that first band gets the figure-8.
- Bands keep snapping. Cheap bands dry out. Fresh bands from a sealed pack stretch further. Store them out of the sun.
- The pattern looks messy. You lifted a top band by mistake. Always hook the bottom band, and push the stack down after every pass.
- The clip pops off. Catch both loops at the end in the clip, not one.
A loom, a pile of bands and a grandchild on a rainy afternoon is about as good as craft time gets. You will both have matching bracelets by teatime.
More bracelets to try
When you want a change from rubber bands, try a knotted friendship bracelet, simple string bracelets or a beaded bracelet. For an adjustable finish on any cord bracelet, learn how to tie a bracelet knot.
