Or do any kind of craft
There isn’t anything special about knitting, it could just as well be crochet or sewing. The important thing is that children are taught to create something with their own hands, ideally something semi-useful. It gives them a sense of pride and confidence that is hard to get any other way.
Pride and confidence
As adults, it’s easy to forget that a child has to learn to do things for themselves. After all, it’s easier and faster to tie their shoelaces, but it won’t improve your child’s self-esteem. Nor will it be faster and easier in the long run. Better to teach them early on that they are just as capable as any adult. And what better way to teach them, then by teaching them a craft.
If you’ve ever created something with your own hands, no matter if it was a drawing, a meal, or a handknitted sweater/jumper, then you know what a rewarding feeling it gives. There simply isn’t anything that feels as good, as when you finish that thing that you’ve been working on for such a long time.
There isn’t any gift that is more rewarding in the long run as teaching your child a craft that will enable them to have that rewarding feeling.
Finding a craft they enjoy
Not all kids are created equal, nor are all crafts. So finding a good craft for your child to start with can be challenging. I would advise you to find easy and quick projects for your child to make. Then if your child doesn’t love it, they can quickly finish it and have the satisfaction of finishing their project. Because if the project is too large, you might have a hard time motivating your child to finish it, and then they won’t have that pride in their finished work.
When I taught my daughter her first craft, I started off with sewing, since that was where I started. But she got frightened of the needles and pins, after being pricked a couple of times. So I introduced knitting to her, and she picked it up rather easily and quickly. And I was hopeful that she might like it enough to finish more than one project. But after she had finished her project she told me she would rather try to crochet. So she crocheted her own granny square and already liked it a lot more than the sewing or knitting.
So try out some different crafts with your child.
Kids would knit in the olden days
My grandad was taught how to knit, as were all his brothers and sisters. It was simply a necessity and not so much that the mother wanted her children to have that sense of achievement that gives such a confidence boost. Socks needed to be knitted, as did hats, scarfs and sweaters, otherwise you wouldn’t stay warm. My grandad was also taught how to darn socks so that they would last longer. He doesn’t knit or darn socks anymore though, he says he is far too glad that he can buy them nowadays. But he does help us grandkids now and then when we have a question.
Some examples
- Knit a square and shape it into a bunny
- Crochet a granny square
- Sew a simple bandana
- Spool knit a necklace or bracelet
- Weave a simple coaster on a loom
Most importantly, just have fun and enjoy a craft with your child.Â
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