As a blogger, I may be compensated in some way (either pay, product, or experience) for sharing the post below All opinions are my own. ~Heidi
Most hobbies provide the person practicing them with some kind of benefits, either physical or mental, or even both, depending on the hobby in question. Because of this, it’s very good if your child develops a desire to learn some kind of craft, specifically one which will offer them some very important skills that will come in handy later on in their lives.
One of the best choices that fit these criteria is definitely sewing. It’s one of those aforementioned hobbies which provide you with both physical and mental benefits, but it also brings a few other advantages to the table. To be fair, initially it might seem like something too complicated for kids but that’s really not the case.
Having said all that, allow us to show you exactly why teaching your kids to sew is important and how to do that effectively.
The benefits: What can your child learn from sewing?
Since sewing is a productive and imaginative hobby, it helps you develop certain mental skills that come in handy not only while you’re doing the actual sewing, but also in everyday life. It makes the artistic part of the brain work hard and come up with some original ideas and concepts.
If your child starts sewing, they will surely become more diligent and organized, because otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to achieve much. A large portion of sewing work is in the preparation process, from material selection to equipment purchase, from designing to tool setup. All these tasks require good organization, which means that they induce the development of said skills.
Let’s not forget patience and perseverance, because they too go hand-in-hand with sewing.
Prepare the field: Sew in front of your kids
You can’t really go ahead and force sewing as a hobby on your kids if they don’t have any interest in it. But you can demonstrate how fun and useful it is, without even making a big deal of it.
Since kids usually become fond of something only after they’ve seen someone else having fun with it, you should use that little trick to your advantage. If you don’t keep them away from you while you’re sewing but instead let them watch and possibly ask questions about it, you’ll pique their interest for sure.
After they realize how much you enjoy sewing, they will most likely want to do it as well. And if they don’t, that’s fine too, just give them a little more time and they’ll eventually change their mind.
Start teaching: Baby steps are crucial
When you start the actual teaching process, it’s important that you don’t rush it and switch it into a high gear. Start off easy, with baby steps.
Letting your child use a sewing machine from the beginning definitely isn’t a good idea. Not only is it relatively dangerous, but it is also too complicated so it might scare your kids away from sewing.
With this in mind, it would be best if you first let your children do some very simple sewing tasks like stitching two small pieces of fabric together by hand or sewing a little logo on a handkerchief. After they’ve mastered such projects, move on to something a bit more demanding.
After a while, if you see that your child has gotten really good at sewing and is still enjoying it as much as he or she did at the beginning, you might want to consider buying them their own machine. Nothing too fancy, a basic model will do. If you need to buy a kid-friendly sewing machine for your tiny fashionista, check out review websites like Hellosewing to ensure you have the best machine for your child.
Play out your role: Let them improve
As time goes by, your child will become more and more skilled at sewing, eventually moving on to sewing with a machine, which is a great thing. As long as you properly introduce them to the model they’ll be working on and its capabilities, they won’t get injured, worry not!
When you notice that your presence definitely isn’t necessary, just let them do their thing by themselves, without you by their side. This will boost their confidence and help them improve even more. You’ve played out your role as a teacher, but you’ll always remain a good choice when they need some sewing advice from an experienced tailor.
With this, you’re ready to start teaching your kid how to sew. Don’t be afraid, you’ll do a great job, as will your little one. Now go and have fun with sewing!
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