How to make cheerleading pom poms?

Cheerleading pompoms can be made from practically any material that has enough drape to move and rattle when shaken. Thin plastic is the perfect material to use which makes cheerleading crafts an ideal opportunity to recycle. You can use up the carrier bags collected from supermarket shopping trips, or the thin plastic bags used to line kitchen waste bins.

1

Step one
Collect at least 10 plastic carrier bags and stack them up on a table or other firm surface.
Line up the bottoms of the bags and smooth them down so they are in a neat pile. Cheerleading pompoms are often brightly coloured, so try to use coloured carrier bags if possible.

2

Step two
Staple evenly along the bottoms of the bags, keeping the staples parallel with the edges of the bags and about half an inch from the bottom edge.

3

Step three
Cut off the handles in a straight line across the top of the bags.
The length of the bag will determine the length of the strands in the cheerleading pom pom, so leave them long if you would like long strands.
Alternatively, you may cut them shorter if you want a smaller pompom.

4

Step four
Make cuts across the width of the bags, cutting down from the top to roughly an inch above the staples and keeping your cuts roughly half an inch apart to form a fringe.

5

Step five
Roll the stapled end of the bags tightly around the end of a wooden dowel and secure them with sticky tape.

6

Step six
Wrap duct tape, or any other strong insulating tape, tightly around the stapled end of the bags on the dowel and all the way down the length of the dowel to provide a padded handle for the cheerleading pompom.

Alternative materials

Final word
You can mix and match different materials to make cheerleader pompoms.
Try layering aluminium foil between the bags, or even making pompoms entirely from aluminium foil.
You can also make pompoms out of paper, painting plain white paper in bright colours before stapling the sheets together and cutting fringes into them. Remember, though, that pompoms made from paper will not be as strong and durable as pompoms made from plastic.