When your children express interest in an activity or hobby, you should encourage them to practice it. I’m sure you already do. Even if you think it’s too early for them to take on such a task. But your supervision and way of teaching are what matters the most in these moments. So here are 5 easy ways to teach your kid to sew.
There’s no denying that sewing is a valuable, practical, and beneficial skill. And you don’t need Home Economics in school for something you can teach your children at home. (AP News) All on your own!
And don’t forget to include your boys too. There are no gender restrictions here. So let’s not create them for no reason.
Moving on, when kids can sew basic items, they develop the ability to do much more as they age. So let’s make that possible, shall we?
5 Easy Ways to Teach Your Kid to Sew
#1 Introduce them to real, good-quality tools
By that, I mean real thread and actual needle.
Child-friendly equipment might be safe to use. But, at the same time, the products have craftily inferior quality. The materials are cheaper in both price and condition. While the former is a good thing, the latter isn’t.
And keep this in mind. Low quality doesn’t produce excellent results. The outcome is bound to be slightly disappointing when rubbish glue, cheap fabric, or blunt scissors are a part of the project. This is how your child might lose interest in the activity. He/she wants the task to be easy to complete. Not time-consuming and difficult!
So use proper equipment. If you’re skeptical about pointy needles, why not opt for the less-pointy wool needles?
#2 Keep the session short and simple
The sewing projects can be as small as you like. It’s not about how much your child sews but how often.
Your kid can begin by sewing tiny slippers and pillow covers. The result might look like it’s falling apart. But that’s alright because you’re not dealing with a professional here. The only goal here is to complete the small task at hand.
With time, you can move on to sewing clothes. Bringing pieces of material together, embellishing the garment with stickers, etc. These are things that children are more likely to enjoy. But only if you keep the project short and simple!
#3 Encourage them to use the machine
So you want to know 5 easy ways to teach your kid to sew, right? How about I discuss the one way that beats all the others?
You understand how to teach a child to sew on a sewing machine, don’t you? Well, it’s simple. If you know how to use one, then you can just as easily teach your kid to do so. Once the basics are in place, allow him/her actually to use the machine.
Just make sure that you have the correct machine for the task. For example, for finishing hems, you require a cover stitch machine. So go through all the cover stitch machine reviews so that you can buy one that’s suitable for beginners. Don’t expect a standard sewing machine to give you the same results, though.
As for the kid, encourage him/her to create new designs. By sketching them out! The next step is for you to tell them what works and what doesn’t.
#4 Allow them to choose the tools
By tools, I mean the pattern, threads, needles, fabrics, etc. It’s important that your child picks every little aspect of that sewing project. Even if it means creating an odd combination of colors and fabric! As long as the sewing assignment is about him/her, fun and excitement are a part of the deal.
But do voice your opinion if your kid chooses a complicated pattern. Your job here is to keep failure away. So why not offer an alternative at this point?
#5 Repeat the same project
The chances of your child sewing the same project over and over again are very high. Once they find something they like, it’s hard to make them change their minds. Isn’t it? But in this case, it’s a habit they can use to their advantage.
With comfort, comes confidence. Also, making the same pattern makes room for improvement. So the results might vary each time.
Conclusion
So these are the 5 easy ways to teach your kid to sew.
The moral of the story here is to keep the task simple and short. Don’t spend too much time teaching or explaining. Instead, please encourage them to execute their beginner skills in whatever way possible. And with whatever real tools possible.
And if you have more such tips, please do so. You might be more experienced than me in this department. So a little help from you can go a long way!
About the author:
Jennifer Kessler is another tiny part that makes up the whole mommy blogger community. So what is it that she chooses to do differently? Kessler refuses to make the journey seem like a magical experience. Her take on pregnancy, motherhood, parenting, etc., is efficient and realistic. Even though she focuses on the negative, her takeaways are always incredibly positive. And that’s what sets her articles apart from the rest.