Hama beads newbie - best/quickest way to assemble them? Templates?

[LightsOnNotIn]

My DS, aged 5, had just discovered these. So have I. I bought a pack which provided a board, the beads and ironing paper. But, unlike Lego, there were only small pictures on the box to work from. I'd have thought there'd be templates which make it clear where each bead goes on each row. P's I do understand that it is probably meant to be done freestyle, in a more relaxed way, I was just wondering if there is an easy method for beginners.

[MrsMummyPig]

Free printable templates here for pearla beads. Might work if they are the same size.

kandipatterns.com/perler-bead-templates

[issynoho]

Just let him at them! Mine have had them for years but only got really precise with them about the age of 8-9. We have lots of coasters. You can get shaped boards but still quite tricky to copy the designs.

You can get a massive jar of them in IKEA. DD has recently discovered that that Minecraft characters are perfect for hama because they're blocky/pixelated.

[AsTimeGoesBy]

Quick post, battery is nearly flat, google Bead Merrily, lots of instructions there