How to Make Easy Harry Potter Wands

Whether you’re making a costume for Book Week or Halloween, planning a Harry Potter themed birthday party, or your kids just want to have fun playing as little witches, wizards or magicians, these wands are just what you need. They don’t take long to make, they’re easy for kids to do, and the end results are pretty magical!

This is a fun and engaging craft activity that kids of all ages will love as they can make their designs as simple or complicated as they wish (hints and tips are included in the steps below). If you’re holding a themed party, you could even set up a wand decorating station as a fun activity to do at the party (just make sure you complete steps 1–3 in advance so everything is dried and ready for the decorating stage at the party)!

You will need:

• A stick or other similar object, e.g. chopstick, old pencil
• Wool / String
• Glue
• Paint
• Decorations, e.g. glitter, jewels, beads

How to make Harry Potter wands

Step 1

Gather some sticks. Head into the garden or out to a park and look for some great wand sticks. The main thing to look for is sticks that are nice and straight and not too thin. It doesn’t matter if they have some bumps and knots — these can add to the character!

If you have to break any sticks to get the perfect size, you can make sure there are no sharp splinters by sanding the ends with sandpaper if necessary.

Another option for a super easy wand is to use an old chopstick. They’re the perfect size and shape!

Step 2

Put some glue (e.g. school glue / PVA glue) in a bowl. Add a length of wool or string and coat it in the glue. Then begin wrapping the string around your stick in whatever way you like.

If you find this way too messy, you can always simply paint some glue onto the stick, add the dry wool or string, then paint more glue on the top to hold it in place.

To give the wand a good shape and create a nice handle, it’s a good idea to add string at the wider end. You can then use the string to make patterns along the wand. You could try a simple spiral pattern.

Or how about adding ridges at intervals along the wand, like the Elder Wand? Older kids could google images of the wands from the Harry Potter films and try to copy their designs.

Another design option is to add decorations at this stage, such as mini plastic spiders or other Halloween items from a discount shop. Or use beads or jewels to add a textural design. The only limit is your imagination!

Then leave the wand to dry (this won’t take long if you leave it outside in the sunshine).

Step 3

Paint the wand. We found a dark brown colour looked best. Simply paint over all of the wood and string. We found one coat was enough. Then leave it to dry again.

Step 4

Decorate your wand! We got some cheap glitter glue to decorate our wands and give them a magical feel. You could use normal glue and glitter, or paint, to give your wand a personal touch. You could even add jewels or other items to give your wand more features.

If you’re holding a Harry Potter party, this part is a great activity for guests to do. Simply set up a wand decorating station with the painted and dried wands and an assortment of decorating items and let the kids personalise their own wands.

Step 5

 

Let the magic begin! Here are a few Harry Potter spells to get you started — or print out a whole list like this one online at pojo.com here.

• Accio!
• Confundus!
• Expecto patronum!
• Lumos!
• Nox!
• Petrificus totalus!
• Reparo!
• Riddikulus!
• Stupefy!
• Wingardium leviosa!

For more Harry Potter fun, check out these 18 Magical Ideas for a Harry Potter Party, and for all your Harry Potter merchandise and fun, head to The Harry Potter Shop: The Store of Requirements in Samford!