The Ultimate Braid Style Guide for Preschoolers

As a parent of a young girl, there are high chances that you don’t want to chop their hair. There’s just something about having a little girl with long, beautiful hair. But preschoolers have a bad habit of getting dirt, sticky sweets, and much more in their hair. You spend more of your time brushing out the knots and washing out the tangled messes.

You need to put their hair up in a way that looks beautiful and girly. This method needs to be quick for a morning since no preschool has the patience to sit still for hours at a time to let you do their hair. That’s where braids come in handy.

Braids are quick and effortless. There are some that are just right for playing with other kids and then some that look gorgeous for a special occasion. Yes, there are many different styles that you will want to learn how to create.

This is your ultimate braid style guide for preschoolers. The next time your child wants a new hairstyle or asks for something specific, you have this guide to help you.

Stick to the Normal Braid

The classic braid is the go-to option for many parents. It’s quick and simplistic and something that absolutely everyone can learn to do. It’s something that kids learn how to do on their dollies at a young age, and something that they can eventually do on their hair.

You’ll want to know how to create the braid for preschool classes. The braid can be twisted in a bun for dance classes and gymnastics, making the hair much easier to handle.

The braid can be created with both dry and wet hair. After a few days of wear, the hair will be wavy. If the hair is wet, then the waves will form more easily. You can also get tighter waves by spitting the hair and doing two braids instead.

You will only need a brush and elastic bands to create the normal braid. Steps to create the braid:

• Start by brushing the hair to get rid of all tangles and then gather gently at the nape of the neck. You can make two choices from this point. You can secure the hair with a band at the nape or you can leave it freely. If you’re new to braiding, securing it with a band is much easier.
• Divide the ponytail into three different sections. The parts need to be equal. This is where some people at first find the braiding tricky. You need to hold three parts in two hands!
• Weave the hair one section at a time. Cross the right side over the middle section and then the left section over the right (which is now sitting in the middle). The next cross is from the right side. You’re constantly moving from the right to the left side, crossing the outside over the middle section.

If you want a tight braid, you’ll need to pull each weave tightly. You can then loosen them by pulling out to the side. Watch out for making your braid too loose. If the hair isn’t all the same length, bits will fly out of the braid.

Secure the bottom of your braid with an elastic band. If you’ve used one at the top of the neck, you can now remove it if you wish or keep it there. If you’re going to turn the hair into a braided bun, this is the time to start raveling the braid around the top elastic band.

Move Onto the French Braid

The next braid to try is called the French braid. This is a little trickier than the normal braid, but it will get easier with practice. At first, you will find that the braid looks messy the first couple of times that you do it, but it does get tighter, and soon you’ll wonder what the issue was.

Like with the normal braid, you only need a brush and an elastic band. Start by brushing the hair to get rid of all the tangles and then move on to the rest of the steps.

• Gather the hair together and start at the hairline. Gather a section of hair from the top of the hair to begin the normal braid, splitting the section into three sections. Start the braid as you would with the normal braid, pulling the weave tightly.
• After the first few weaves, pull a strand of loose hair from the right and cross it over to the middle. Do the same on the left-hand With each strand that you switch over your hair, pull in another stand from the loose hair.
• Repeat until all the loose hair is collected into the braid and then finish the braid as you would normally. Secure it in place with the elastic band.

When you pick up strands of loose hair, you want to make the strands about the same size as those that you started with. This will help to prevent the braid from looking lopsided. This is usually the hardest part that people have with the French braid, along with getting the weave tight enough.

Now It’s Time for the Fishtail Braid

The fishtail braid has become one of the most popular types of braids. It’s one of the simplest options but looks like it should be one of the hardest. The downside of a fishtail braid is the length of time that it can take, and not all preschoolers want to wait around for their hair to be finished really.

You’ll want to start with a brush and a clear elastic band that’s disposable. You’ll also want a hair tie for the bottom of your hair. The clear band will secure the hair at the nape of the neck, just to make it easier to create the fishtail braid if you’re still practicing. Now you can follow the steps below.

• Separate your hair into two equal parts.
• Take about half an inch of hair from the outside edge of the right side and cross that over to the right. Avoid twisting the hair. Just allow the strand to sit naturally across.
• Next, take half an inch from the left side and repeat over to the right side of the hair. Again, avoid twisting the hair.
• Repeat the steps until you reach the bottom of your hair. You may find towards the end that you need to switch to a normal braid, just to the differing lengths of your strands of hair.

The fishtail braid can be messy and still look cute. It’s one of the perfect options for preschoolers because of this. Just secure your braid with the second band and then cut the top band out of the hair. You can also pull out some of the braids to create a looser look.

Try the Rope Braid Instead

I made a point in sharing to avoid twisting the sections when doing the fishtail braid. This is because the twisting is something to do with a different type of braid; one known as the rope braid. The twisting will help to create a smooth look. When you braid, you’ll look like you’ve twirled a rope around itself and secured it in place.

Start with a ponytail that you split into two equal sections. Twist the two sections to the right and then cross the right over the left. Keep twisting like this until you’ve reached the bottom of your hair. Secure the twist in place with a braid.

You will likely need a little spray to help keep the braid in place. It’s common for the twists to work their way back through the day. The benefit is the braid is extremely quick and easy to do. It’s a fun one for little girls to go to preschool or kindergarten with.

Make a Halo in the Hair

Kids love to play dress up. Little girls will like to pretend to be angels, especially if you joke around with them about being angels (or little devils). You can create a halo of their hair with the halo braid.

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This is a hairstyle that works better for those with longer hair. It will work for those with shoulder length or longer, so think about this before you start. You’ll want to create a clear side parting in the hair before you even begin braiding. You can leave the bangs in front of your kid has them.

• Grab a 3-inch section of hair on one side of the hair, at the front of the parting. Choose the heaviest side if you have one side with slightly more hair than the other. Braid the hair as you usually would.
  Start the braid from the parting and work your way around the side of the head, along with the hairline. You want the braid to follow the hairline exactly, creating a barrier between hair and face.
• Work your way around the nape of the neck, up to the other ear. Make sure the hair remains tight so that it looks neat.
• Continue to plait to the bottom of your strand and then secure in place with a clear elastic band. Wrap the hair until the tail of the braid meets the start of it and tuck that tail, so it isn’t visible.
• Leave the rest of the hair down if you’d like. You can also choose to braid or secure the rest of the hair into a bun.

This is a fun style for a special occasion. It’s also a good style for those who like to take dance classes and those who just love to play dress up. You can go one step further with the halo braid by doing a Dutch braid instead. We’ll get onto the exact way to do a Dutch braid below.

Try the Dutch Braid

The Dutch braid is similar to the French braid, in the way that it starts towards the top of your head. The difference is that the Dutch braid stands out from the head. The French braid blends in along the way down.

Brush your hair to keep it smooth and free from knots.

• Creating the Dutch braid is very similar to the French. You start with a section of your hair that you separate into three equal strands. Rather than braiding with the outside strand going over the top of the middle strand, you want to work with it underneath.
• Once you’ve worked the first three strands, you can start gathering sections from the loose parts of your hair. Work with equal sizes and constantly braid underneath the middle strand instead of over the top.
• Once there is no more hair to add, you can then continue the braid as you usually would but continuing with the style underneath the middle strand of hair.

You’ll see that the braid naturally sits on top of your hair and stands out a little. It will take some practice and not all kids like to sit around for it. You’ll want to stick to this for special occasions.

Do the Waterfall Braid for Special Occasions

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Finally, we have the waterfall braid. This is a beautiful look and works for all women with longish hair. It’s perfect for children, as it brings out a mystical and playful nature; very similar to the fishtail braid. Because of the time that it can take to create the braid, it’s often best to leave this for special occasions only.

Like all other braids, you’ll need to brush the hair to remove all tangles and knots.

• Part your hair to one side and start on the heaviest side of your head. You only need to take a section of the hair.
  Split the section into three equal strands and cross the back strand over the middle. Then cross the front strand over the middle (which was the back one).
• When you cross the back strand over this time, pull a section of the hair from the loose part of your hair over to you, almost like a French braid. When crossing from the front, bring a strand from the loose hair again.
• This next pull from the back strand will bring some hair from the loose section, but you don’t repeat with the front Drop the front strand of your hair and take a section from behind. Cross that new section over the middle instead.
• Bring the back over with a strand-like before, but repeat with the front by dropping the strand and then bringing over a strand from behind. Keep doing this until you reach the hairline. You can then braid as normal.

It’s a beautiful look but will take some practice. You may want to practice on your hair rather than on your child’s just because of the time that it takes.

With all the different braids, you have something for all occasions. Now you just need to hope that your preschooler wants you to try out all the different braiding styles in her hair!

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