Make Cheerleading Pom Poms

Are you short of pom poms for your cheerleading squad? Want to root on your team from the bleachers in a more spirit-filled way? Then this is the right article for you! Just follow these simple steps.

Steps

With Tissue Paper

  1. Choose your tissue paper and materials. This kind of pom is great for cheering on your team from the stands -- especially if you have your team's colors. Get at least two different colors and enough tissue paper to fill the hands of all your family members. You'll need:
    • Tissue paper (in its just-bought state -- no scraps)
    • Popsicle sticks
    • Rubber bands
    • Scissors
  2. Grab a stack of tissue paper. Generally speaking, tissue paper comes in quite long pieces in a tri-fold arrangement. Generally. If yours doesn't or isn't already folded, do fold it up until it's about six inches (15 cm) across -- it'll be easier and quicker to work with that way.
    • If your tissue paper is regulation size (that is to say, just short of 2 feet (.6 m) long), cut it in half length-wise once folded. If your pom pom is {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} long, that's one droopy pom pom!
  3. Start cutting strips into your tissue paper. But don't cut all the way! You want strips about 1" (2.5 cm) wide along the length of your paper that stop about 3" (7.5 cm) from the bottom. This uncut part is the base of your pom pom and will go near the handle.
    • They don't have to be even. Eyeballing it is just fine. The only thing you need to be concerned with is ripping!
    • You can cut as many pieces of tissue paper at once as you think your scissors can handle. Half a dozen sheets at a time shouldn't phase a normal pair, but once you get too bulky you risk having jagged edges and creating tears.
    • Cut as many pieces as you need. 8-12 sheets make for a fluffy pom pom.
  4. Grab your popsicle stick and unfold the tissue paper, leaving it in a pile. You should now have a whole bunch of pieces that look like the fringe on a cowboy's chaps (sort of). Take the stick (the thicker the stick, the better) and place it at the edge of the pile, overlapping the 3" or so you left uncut.
    • It is as this point that if you have any pieces of shiny, decorative paper you add them in. Simply cut them to size and line them up with the tissue paper.
    • Start wrapping the top of the stick over and over with the tissue paper. If your stick is too short or too thin (you need to be able to hold onto it easily), use multiple sticks. Wrap it over and over and over until you reach the other side of the tissue paper and your pom pom is virtually formed.
  5. Wrap a rubber band around the base and fluff away. Tada! Your pom pom! If you don't trust the rubber band, tape is your second best bet -- glue just gets messy and tissue paper does not take well to it.
    • Shake the pom pom out like you would in the stands. It'll fluff out a bit as you loosen it up.
    • Decorate the handle with glitter glue, markers, stickers, or any other spirited embellishments you have laying about the house.

With Trash Bags

  1. Take ten trash bags and layer them on top of one another. Trash bags don't come in all colors, but generally an accent color can be found, like yellow, black, or white. This method works great for squads that need impromptu sets as the material matches that of many professional poms.
    • Place them on a flat surface. You'll be using scissors, so you may want to avoid shaggy carpet or a nice hardwood floor.
  2. Cut off the drawstring at the top. Any edge that doesn't match the rest of the trash bag needs to be gotten rid of.
    • Once all the rough edges or areas are cut off, fold the bags in half, width-wise. That is, fold them so they're half as long.
    • Cut off the folded edge. This gives you a pile of 40 pieces of trash bag. Keep the bags lined up.
  3. Make slits on both sides toward the center. Leave about 3" (7.5 cm) in the middle, uncut. That's where your handle will go. Do this on both sides -- this is a double-sided pom pom.
    • If you want thinner strips, cut more slits. If you want thicker strips, cut fewer. Again, make sure to keep your pile aligned.
  4. Gather the uncut center and wrap it with tape. Electrical or duct works best -- any sturdy tape will do. Wrap it around a few times to get it secure.
    • Electrical tape may be a bit narrow and duct may be a bit wide, depending on your measurements. If either is the case, adjust the tape (by cutting it or adding more) so that it covers the entire uncut center.
  5. Fluff and crinkle the ends. The more you fluff and crinkle, the more voluminous your pom pom will be. Grab small sections and scrunch them up; don't crinkle the whole end in one handful.
    • If you'd like a bigger pom pom, start over but with more trash bags. But don't write off the possibility that you didn't fluff enough -- your pom pom should double in size.

With Wool

  1. Lay old newspapers on a flat surface. Assemble all the things you'll need in this designated area. You'll need the following materials:
    • Toilet roll
    • Scissors
    • Wool in your squads colours
    • Craft glue
    • Paint in your squads colours
    • Masking tape
  2. Paint the toilet roll your squad's colour. If your squad has more than one colour, paint one side of the toilet roll one colour and the other side the other colour.
    • If you're worried about not having straight lines, use a zigzag or wave pattern. This is easier on the eye if your colours aren't exactly even.
    • Stand the roll on its end off to the side and let it dry.
  3. Start cutting strands of wool. If your squad has two colours, cut out at least 12 strands of each colour that measure 15 cm (6 inches) in length. If your wool is thinner, cut more strands.
    • If you have two colours, make sure you have an even amount of each color. Pair each color up with it's opposite, having at least 12 groups of two.
  4. Plait the groups of two together until you have at least twelve plaits. Twist and braid the wool pieces to give them volume. If you'd like to use three pieces per plait, you can, but one colour will be more dominant than the other.
    • Tie a knot at the end of each plait. Put a weight down or a piece of tape on the unknotted end to keep it together.
  5. Check if your toilet roll is dry. If it is, get the craft glue and squeeze a small blob of it on the inside of the top of the toilet roll. Take one of the plaits and stick the top of it into the glue and hold for fifteen to twenty seconds. Now do the same to all of the plaits until you have them drooping over the side of the toilet roll.
    • If you'd like, you can make twelve more plaits and add them onto the other end of the toilet roll creating a double sided pom pom.
    • Let it dry by putting to the side and waiting for half and hour.
      • For extra security (or instead of glue) you can put small pieces of masking tape inside the toilet roll where the plaits are attached.
    • After half an hour, give it a bit of a shake to see if it is strong and do a mini cheer routine.



Tips

  • Be creative and stick stick-on gems in your squads colours on the toilet roll.
  • For the wool method, when attaching the plaits to the inside of the toilet roll, it is a good idea to use a hot glue gun. Just be careful!
  • Show your team this article and see if they think it is a good idea to make these pom poms.

Things You'll Need

Method 1: With Tissue Paper

  • Tissue paper (8-12 pieces)
  • Scissors
  • Popsicle stick(s)
  • Rubber band

Method 2: With Trash Bags

  • 10 trash bags
  • Scissors
  • Sturdy tape

Method 3: With Wool

  • Craft glue
  • Wool in your squads colours
  • Toilet roll
  • Paint
  • Scissors
  • Masking Tape

Related Articles

  • Make Grocery Bag Pom Poms
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