Button Yo-Yo – Pasto Agricultural Museum Blog

Have you been trying to find ways to keep family connected and busy these last few days, weeks? Maybe it feels like months? Here are a few “Quick Bits” to try with things you can find at home…

A Button Yo-Yo is one of my favorites!

Find a button with two or four holes centered through the middle of the button. A button with a shank will not work.

How many kinds of buttons can you find? Jar of buttons. Photo (CC BY 2.0) by Rita Graef

Where do you keep spare buttons? Jar of buttons. Photo (CC BY 2.0) by Rita Graef

And measure a length of string about 1 yard long. Embroidery floss (like you might use for friendship bracelets or cross-stitching) is about right, but you can experiment with different kinds of thread and string, as well as different sizes of buttons.

Measure a length of string. Photo (CC BY 2.0) by Rita Graef — Did you know you always have a measuring tool with you? If you measure a length of string by touching your own nose facing one way, and extending your other other hand the other way, you will always measure about the same distance. And this distance is more or less one yard. Try it on yourself. Then have other family members measure the distance between their nose and furthest hand. Are they the same? Why or why not? Photo (CC BY 2.0) by Rita Graef

Thread the string through one side, then back through the opposite hole and tie the ends together.

Making button yo-yos. Photo (CC BY 2.0) by Rita Graef

Now, this is the tricky part that may take a little practice:

Hold a loop of string in two fingers of each hand, with the button centered between the ends.
Spin the button a few times and gently pull your hands apart, then release.
You will feel the string tug a little as the button spins one way, unwinds and spins in the other direction. The little pull you make at just the right time adds tension to the string and the energy in the spinning button sends it spinning in the other direction.
Keep trying!

Caution: This activity uses small parts and is not appropriate for younger children who might put buttons in their mouths. Use scissors with the help of an adult. Keep spinning yo-yo away from loose hair. And please wash your hands after touching your face.