Alphabet beads or letter beads as they are sometimes known come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be made from many different materials such as plastic, wood, pewter and of course silver and gold.
The plastic alphabet beads are very colourful,are reasonably inexpensive, and are readily available online or in your local craft store and make a wonderful gift for children.
You can encourage their creativity and perhaps even improve their spelling by helping them make bracelets, necklaces, keyrings or designs for jackets.
A simple bracelet may be made by using beading string or elastic and choosing different coloured beads to spell out the word of choice.
Choose background and letter colours carefully to achieve the best overall effect.
You could also use smaller beads in between the alphabet beads for easier reading.
Intertwine six strands of beading string together to make a rope onto which the beads are threaded, making sure they are in the correct order of spelling.
Knot the ends and you're done.
Imagine the joy a grandparent or aunt and uncle would feel receiving a birthday gift made specifically for them rather than bought at the local store.
Or what about a mother's day or father's day present? Bracelets also make ideal friendship presents for close friends to exchange.
Another creative idea is using flat letter beads and heavy duty embossed paper to make greetings cards, birthday cards, wall hangings, school projects, the list is endless.
Incorporate other materials to make a picture or what about a calender? It would be easy to get the impression that alphabet beads are enjoyed only by younger children.
This is simply not the case.
Kids of all ages can enjoy jewellery making using alphabet beads and in fact it can lead to a part time income steam for the particularly adept.
Gold and sterling silver beads give a more sophisticated look and can be used for necklaces, drink decanters, wine glass charms,cellphone straps, hatbands, dress decorations and much more.
Again intersperse the alphabet beads with others or Swarovski crystals for extra elegance.
Pewter can be used as a less expensive alternative to gold or silver but the quality is not as good.
Did you know that as well as different sizes of bead and different hole sizes, they come in a variety of shapes.
Squares,rounded, oval and heart shapes are available, and also Hebrew and Greek letters are available as well as the English alphabet, a huge variety to choose from.