Why I teach my kids to crochet.

Is crocheting a little old school? Why yes, yes it is and sometimes old school is exactly the way to go.  Read books documenting the lives of children and realize that the kids in the Little House Books and Grandma's Attic stories are doing hand crafts at ages as young as 5.  You might ask why this is important now a days. Kids don't need to know how to make their own sweaters and blankets, they can buy them! Sure we can do that but there are skills here to be learned and practiced. We read articles all the time about how doing a physical activity while counting will help kids to retain their numbers faster and better, math skills such as adding and multiplying stick fast when done with an activity. This is a fundamental of crocheting, counting, and basic math skills are all used while physically doing something with their hands.  To think a hundred plus years ago they were teaching with "modern" techniques!

There is also the amazing boost in self esteem when a child, well anyone really, finishes a project they have made from hand. This is not a lesson found in a book. It can be read about, it can be told to them but it has to happen for them to feel it. It is important to start with small easy projects to accomplish this. Finger knitting a doll scarf with your kid is a great first project that works up fast. Once the feeling of accomplishment is felt it will be craved and this, this is an important lesson that will fuel work and play for their entire lives.  The emotional lessons do not stop there. Patience, perseverance and coping skills are big lessons here too. Going back to fix a mistake teaches all 3 of those lessons and they are so very important to learn. Crochet is not "important" in the scheme of things but those lessons are. By learning in a laid back and controllable situation the little ones learn how to handle a mistake, how to push through and do it again and how to understand that it's ok to make a mistake as long as you fix it. Fast forward a couple years and those lesson are used in more serious situations, practiced and known they handle life better then those kids just learning those lessons.

Back to math skills for a minute. It's not just counting that is to be learned with crafts. Quilting is an amazing geometry lesson that can be done over and over again starting with basic shape recognition to rhombuses, area, perimeters and so forth.  Measurements from centimeters to yardage is used as well as basic sewing skills. Art too is learned with colors, patterns and coordinating of both. So many lessons learned without a book and all hands on.

For children of all ages there is also an amazing amount of small motor skills and hand and eye coordination used and practiced. It may seem silly at first but the fact is developing these motor skills helps with other skills including handwriting.  It has been found that these skills are the building blocks of all other skills.

Other crafts to explore:

knitting
cross stitch
tatting
quilling
embroidery
weaving
string art
calligraphy
macramé
cooking
canning
carving


There is one last note I would like to put on here. Something that is an important point for me and that I hope is to you as well. In all the skills learned, the lessons the accomplishments there is one more thing that is so very important. You. In doing this you are spending quality time with your kids up close and personal. Memories of doing projects with parents stay forever. Going back to those books above. Those stories are there because doing these things with their parents was important to them. The time learning things from their parents stuck with them, became the stories they told their grandchildren about. That there is what we should all strive for.

Follow me on Pinterest, Google and Facebook or the blog!

To become an Avon Rep please click here for more info

and to sign up.

There are links in my blog posts. Some lead to affiliate pages or my Avon shop. Monies/rewards may be earned off any purchases or sign ups done through these links