Families Who Knit Together – Teaching Children To Knit: Guest Post by Grace Carter

Today I have a guest post from Grace Carter - all about teaching kids to knit! Passing on our skills and love of yarn is such a wonderful thing!

Families Who Knit Together – Teaching Children To Knit

Finding a hobby that you can enjoy with your children is a beautiful thing. Not only are you able to get to do something that brings joy to you, but you are able to share that joy with your children and create wonderful memories. Knitting is a fabulous skill to pass along and is a sensational way to spend quality time bonding, teaching and –although we may not feel it at the time- learning from our children.

Before you stock up on yarn and needles for you and your troupe, here are some tips to get you started.

Wait until there’s interest

Kids are always interested in what we, as parents, are doing. Because of this, it’s no surprise that if you’re knitting at home, a child watching would show interest. No matter how much you love knitting and want to teach your child, it’s important to allow them to express their interest first. Pressuring them into being interested will only lead to frustration on their part and disappointment on yours.

Start off easy

You may be tempted to start off with just simple stitches, but a child wants to see a finished product, not just a row of stitches. So, choose a project, but keep it simple. Remember that they will want to show off their completed project, so pick something that’s simple, achievable, and won’t take very long to complete.

Rhyme time

Rhymes are always easy to remember, even if they’re ridiculous. When you’re trying to help your child remember how to knit, give them a rhyme to help. “Adding rhymes to lessons can make things far easier to remember. One of the more popular rhymes used over the years is: ‘In through the front door, run around the back, down through the window and off jumps Jack!’ Not only does it make it easier to remember, but it also makes it more fun for kids,” adds Mary Lyons, Craft Writer at Studydemic and Assignment Help.

Shopping spree!

When kids are interested in something, they want to be involved in every aspect, from start to finish. Get them even more excited about the project they’ll be completing by taking them to the store and letting them choose the colors of yarn they want to use. Don’t worry if they choose hot pink, taupe, and baby blue – it's their project, and they’ll love it even more if they have their say in every part of the process.

Set a time limit

There’s no need to set a stopwatch each time you sit down to help your child work on their project, but it’s a good idea to stay observant and have them stop if they are either losing interest or getting frustrated. You may even notice that there’s a certain time limit when they start losing interest in what they are doing. Don’t try to push things beyond what they’re interested in, because then it’s not fun for them anymore. If you see them starting to lose interest, suggest that you stop for the night and do something else.

It’s ok to step in – when needed

Of course, when you’re teaching your child to knit, you will want them to be the one doing the work, completing the project, and having that feeling of accomplishment. Your inclination may be to stay as hands-off as possible, but there’s nothing wrong with offering to help when needed. If your child is truly struggling with things, before they throw down the needles and call it quits, offer to show them again. There’s also nothing wrong with asking to do a few stitches when you see a project taking a bad turn, and getting it back on the right track before it’s unfixable. “The hardest part of teaching anyone to knit, especially a child, is actually teaching yourself the patience to sit back and allow them to just enjoy the process. There’s a balance you will want to find between stopping yourself from trying to take over and offering the help they may need,” says Millicent Carlton, teacher at BoomEssays and Essayroo.

Each child is different, so wait for the signs of interest, be patient and use the tips above to help guide you through the process of teaching your child to knit. Creating this beautiful bond between you and your children is a wonderful way to share your love of knitting and passing along your love to your children.

Grace Carter is a teacher from UK Writing Services Reviews and UK Top Writers educational websites. She helps with content creation and generates new ideas. Also, Grace teaches creative writing at UK Writings service.

Follow Moogly on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr! Thank you to Grace Carter for writing this guest post - all opinions are her own.