Are you wanting to teach your child to sew? Here is what you can expect (realistically) from your child when it come to sewing.
Ages 3-6
Between the ages of 3-6, lacing cards are fabulous! This helps them develop the fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination skills, and patience that sewing requires. Living Life and Learning has a great tutorial on making your own lacing cards here.
Another sewing activity that is great for this age group is sewing large buttons on burlap. Simply place the burlap fabric in an embroidery hoop, and using a plastic needle and yarn, have your child sew large buttons on to the burlap fabric.
Ages 6-7 (one-on-one sewing)
Some children are ready for sewing on a sewing machine by age 6 or 7. For their safety, and for a positive experience, we recommend that they are only taught one-on-one. Group lessons are generally not a good idea at this point. One-on-one lessons are less pressure for them, they can be redirected as often as needed, and they can get the required (frequent) assistance this way.
This age group requires a lot of assistance. This is completely normal. When sewing on a machine, their stitching lines will not be very straight and many of the basics (back-tacks, pivots, etc.) do not always come quickly yet, even after they’ve been repeatedly taught. Repetition on the basics is very important, and will be for the next many years to come. This is a very fun age for children to learn to sew. Repetition is key. Remember, there is always a risk of injury when sewing, so make sure to go over your safety rules frequently with your young sewist.
Ages 8-10 (group lessons)
By the age of 8, most kids are ready to sew on a sewing machine. Group lessons are a great option at this point. This is where you will see the most progress. While they may still struggle to follow a seam allowance and pin correctly in the first year or two, you will notice a lot of progress by the end of this age group. Repetition is sill vitally important at this stage. The Kids Can Sew curriculum is perfect for kids to
start between the ages of 8 & 10. The curriculum offers the needed practice they need to master the basics as well as instructions that they can read and understand. In the early years of this age bracket, sewists will need assistance with learning “sewing terms and language” and will need a lot of assistance learning and understanding pattern instructions. By the time they are around 10 or so, they can often understand many of the pattern instructions with minimal assistance. Their progress is so fun to watch! Lines get straighter, pivots get more exact, back-tacks are remembered,…it’s an exciting time!
Ages 10-12 (Sewist’s age of independence)
This is what I call the “Sewist’s Age of Independence!” This is when they gain their sewing wings and start to fly! It’s an exciting time! Although they still need assistance and direction (sometimes a lot), the help they need is because they are tackling harder and more complex sewing projects. Be cautious when selecting projects. Sometimes they will want to make things that are FAR beyond their skill level. While a challenge is a good thing, you don’t want to set them up for failure because the project turns out to be too overwhelming. Just be cautious when selecting projects. You want to help them achieve success AND learn new skills along the way.
The Kids Can Sew curriculum is a great resource for teaching your child to sew, whatever their age. They will learn the basics and will be provided the repetition necessary to help them master the basics. They will learn to sew both clothing and crafts. The levels progress in difficulty to prepare them for commercial patterns. Visit us at www.KidsCanSew.com for more information.
Looking for a Kids Can Sew instructor? You can find a Kids Can Sew teacher near you here.
Want to make money teaching kids to sew? You can become a Kids Can Sew instructor here.
Happy sewing y’all!
~Lyndee
