One easy wire project for kids is a fancy name craft, which will create a unique and fancy cursive version of their name to display in their rooms or anywhere around the house. It's best to use wire that is a bit heavier for this project. Craft wire that is 22 to 24 gauge is perfect. This wire can be found at any craft store. You should also have needle-nose pliers, scissors and some colored beads.
Cut off a 2-foot length of wire, which is more than enough to create a name. Slide beads onto the wire before beginning to bend it. Using the pliers, carefully bend the wire into the shape of a name. It's best to use cursive letters for this project. Try to keep a few beads on each letter while bending. Once finished, hang the name off of a nail for easy display.
Another fun wire craft is the 3-D mobile. This simple craft can be made with a few wire coat hangers. Have the kids select a theme for the mobile before starting. Examples of themes include sports, movies, fruit or music. Select a theme and think about the kinds of things to put on the mobile. Gather scissors, crayons, paint, markers, yarn, string, glue and a few pre-straightened wire hangers.
Bend the wires by hand to form the basic shape. Use crayons, paint and markers to draw and color the objects on construction paper. Use scissors to cut the construction paper into shapes that will fit inside the wire frames. Connect the construction paper to the wire frame by taping, wiring or gluing it. Attach strings to the wire frames and tie them to an intact wire coat hanger. Finally, suspend the mobile from a ceiling or high place where it can hang freely.
Dream catchers are ancient Native American crafts that were believed to literally catch good dreams and filter out the bad. Dream catchers have become common craft items, and wire dream catchers are easy for kids to make. All they will need is a wire coat hanger, yarn, white glue, feathers and beads.
Bend the wire hanger into a circle and tie it shut with the yarn. Create a spider's web effect inside the circle using the yarn. Work beads onto the thread before putting the thread on the circle. Take the thread and move it around the side of the circle and bring it back and forth over and over again in different patterns. Once finished, take the thread back to the top and tie it to the top. Trim any excess yarn and tie feathers to the dream catcher using the yarn. Tie a few streams of yarn to the bottom about a foot long. Use glue anywhere it's needed to keep the dream catcher firmly connected.