Pi Day STEAM Activity - Paper Bracelets

Amy Wung Tsao

Mar 12 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Easy STEAM Craft for Pi Day

Compilation of four photos: top-left photo of marker marking the width of a child’s wrist on a paper strip; top-right photo of paper strip folded accordion style, sections labeled 1, 2, 3; bottom-left photo of paper strip cut; bottom-right photo of child’s arm wearing paper strip taped around their wrist. Title reads “Pi Day Bracelets.”

Celebrate Pi day with more than just pizza for dinner and pie for dessert!

While your pizza is baking in the oven, here is a quick and easy Pi Day STEAM craft that teaches your kids the magical mathematical meaning of pi.

Drawing of a circle with the circumference and diameter labeled. Equation shows Circumference divided by Diameter = Pi = 3.1415926… — Credit: World Pi Federation

Just what, you ask, is the magical mathematical meaning of pi again?

A circle’s circumference divided by its diameter is always pi. Doesn’t matter how small or big the circle!

And that’s why we can use pi to measure out the perfect size paper bracelets.

Here’s how:

Pi Day Bracelet Materials:

Photo of Pi Day bracelet craft materials: markers, scissors, tape, and paper strips.

Strips of paper or cardstock
Scissors
Tape
Markers for decorating

Pi Day Bracelet Instructions:

Step 1:

Place your wrist on a paper strip, and mark how wide your wrist is. (That’s the diameter of your bracelet.)

Photo of Pi Day bracelet craft step 1 - paper strip with the width of your wrist marked.

Over the next couple steps, we’re going to multiply this diameter by pi to cut the paper strip just the right length for your bracelet. (That's the circumference of your bracelet.)

Step 2

Fold the strip of paper where you made your mark. Then fold it, accordion style, one more time. You can label these sections 1, 2, 3 if you’d like. Now you’ve got a strip of paper that’s 3 times as long as your wrist diameter.

Step 3

Remember pi isn’t 3, it’s 3.14. So we need a strip of paper that’s a bit more than 3 times longer than your wrist diameter. So add a bit more decoration to your paper strip.