Simple! A classic but popular cat’s cradle trick. Learn cat’s cradle and have fun!
Let me introduce some simple cat’s cradle tricks.
I’ll show you lots of classics like the “Broom,” “Ladder,” and “Rubber Band,” as well as various animals that kids will love!
These are enjoyable not only for beginners, but also for preschool and kindergarten-aged children.
All you need is a single string to play cat’s cradle anywhere, and people of all ages can enjoy it together—perfect for indoor play.
Take this opportunity to learn a few.
You can make a cat’s cradle string simply by tying yarn, but if you want to put more care into it, knitting one yourself might make it feel even more special!
Simple! A classic but popular cat’s cradle trick. Learn cat’s cradle and have fun! (1–10)
rubber
There are many cat’s cradles that imitate various shapes, but there are probably few that you can enjoy like a toy after completing, as with this one.
You also shouldn’t overlook the surprising fact that the string—which normally shouldn’t stretch or shrink—seems to stretch and shrink.
In addition, with this rubber-band cat’s cradle, you’ll see beautiful geometric patterns appear repeatedly as you make it, which is another fun aspect.
Besides this rubber-band version, there are a few other patterns that are a bit easier to make, so please try those as well.
Tokyo Tower
This cat’s cradle is Tokyo Tower—the one many of us remember making under the name “Eiffel Tower.” It’s the kind of piece that even adults will feel like trying.
This Tokyo Tower is made by arranging the four-step ladder, but since you repeat the motion of removing the string from your fingers several times in the middle, it may be a bit difficult for children.
It might be good to give them a little help.
When playing with kids, making a personal cat’s cradle for them with yarn in their favorite color will likely get them even more excited.
omikuji (a Japanese fortune slip typically drawn at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples)
Did you know you can use cat’s cradle to tell your fortune? It’s amazing how many things you can do with just a single string.
This one is like a rubber-band-style cat’s cradle: the process of making it is fun, and after making it you can play with it too.
However, once you try it, you’ll immediately know whether it’s a win or a miss, and if it’s a win it turns back into a single string.
It makes me marvel, with a sense of respect, at how people in the past came up with all sorts of games by being resourceful when they had so little.
star
Stars have beautiful shapes like pentagons and hexagons, don’t they? Star shapes have long been incorporated into various designs.
It would be fun to express such stars with cat’s cradle, wouldn’t it? We start with a basic method: double the string, loop it over your thumbs and little fingers, and use your middle fingers to pick up the opposite strands.
You might wonder how this becomes a pentagon, but after a few steps, the form mysteriously starts to suggest a pentagon.
As long as you follow the sequence, even children can give it a try.
suspension bridge
One of the cat’s cradle figures that even children can easily make is this suspension bridge.
By simply looping the string twice around both wrists, facing your hands toward each other, and picking up the loops with your middle fingers, the bridge is complete.
Seeing lines of string as something recognizable like this is part of the fun of cat’s cradle.
Also, simple figures like this can often be developed into more complex ones, so it’s helpful to treat them as fundamentals and make sure you can do them reliably.
banana
You can really make all sorts of things with string figures (ayatori).
Designs expressed only with lines are simple and beautiful.
Among them, food-themed string figures are one of those that really get you excited, aren’t they? This banana is a relatively unusual type of string figure: after you finish making it, you take it off your fingers and place it on the table to complete it.
It might be fun to make it for a small child and pretend to eat it.
Try using yellow string, too—the realism should increase.
bamboo node
There seem to be many kinds of figures you can make with string figures, and I’d like to introduce one that’s simple but not very well known.
It’s called “Bamboo Node.” The theme is a bit understated, isn’t it? This figure develops from “River,” which is the basis for many string figures.
It’s simple, but since it involves threading and releasing fingers, it might be a little tricky for children.
It could be nice for parents to make it for them while talking about stories like Princess Kaguya or pandas.
three-step ladder
Have you mastered the one- and two-step ladders? Then let’s try the “three-step ladder”! First, loop the string over the thumb and index finger of your left hand.
Using the index finger of your right hand, pick up the string between the left thumb and index finger from above, twist it once, and pull it.
Next, using your right thumb, pick up the string from the same spot on the left hand from underneath this time, without twisting it, and pull.
Use your little fingers to pick up the string that is the second closest to you, and then place the strings that are on both index fingers onto their respective thumbs.
If it’s hard to hook them, pinch the string with the opposite hand to make it easier.
Slip the string closest to you off your thumbs, insert your index fingers into the triangular gap formed between the thumbs and index fingers, and press against your palms to secure it firmly.
Release the strings hooked on your little fingers, then spread both hands strongly away from yourself…
and the three-step ladder is complete!
broom
Among the classic, well-loved string figures, this broom is probably one of the best known.
Even though it’s a staple, it’s a bit on the difficult side, so even people who tried it as children may not clearly remember how to do it.
If that’s you, take a good look at the steps and give it some practice.
It’s really satisfying when you pull the string at the end and it turns neatly into a broom.
With asymmetrical string figures, there may often be an unexpected twist at the very end.
river
When it comes to the most fundamental cat’s cradle that forms the basis for many others, isn’t this “River” the one? If you master just this, you can build on it to enjoy all kinds of variations, so be sure to learn it.
It’s so simple that even preschoolers can make it, so you should be able to do it right away.
Still, the person who came up with cat’s cradle is truly amazing, isn’t he? Watching a single loop of string transform into all sorts of shapes is moving.
It’s also fun to come up with your own new arrangements.