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Teaching A Child to Sew: Should You Start on a Machine or by Hand?

by Helen Spencer - Founder / Editor
( HelloSewing.com)

As kids get older, they usually get bored of playing with toys and start craving an interesting activity that can keep them occupied for a while. When this happens, an appropriate hobby helps them get what they want and need.

Enter sewing. This hobby checks out all of the boxes for kids. It’s fun and challenging, but it’s not complicated nor is it repetitive. The best part about it is the fact that it’s educational and it enforces development of various skills.

Sewing can be done by hand or with a sewing machine. Each method has its perks and disadvantages, so it’s important to know which one is more suitable for your kid.

Sewing by Hand

This method has three main strong points which make it a good choice for relatively small children. It’s simple, it’s safe if done correctly, and it encourages development of certain skills that are important for a child’s physical and mental growth.

When it comes to difficulty, sewing can’t get simpler than this, unless we count cutting the fabric into adequate pieces as a part of the whole sewing process. But despite this fact, sewing by hand still provides your kid with loads of possibilities which means they can do and create all kinds of stuff.

As far as safety goes, sewing by hand is pretty benign. While there is a very small risk of your kid pricking their fingers with a needle, it’s still much safer than letting them use the sewing machine. If you want to, you can also have them use a blunt needle and erase the risk of injury altogether.

The best part about sewing by hand is that it helps your child to improve a few important skills. First, their hand dexterity will greatly increase. They will be able to grasp small objects more easily and to use them with precision. Their independence and self-confidence will also improve.

Since they won’t be doing something too difficult, you won’t have to step in and help them every now and then. Finally, by learning how to tie thread knots and make consistent stitches, they’ll be able to patch up a tear through their entire life.

Sewing with a Machine

This is the real deal; with a sewing machine your possibilities are endless. Your kid’s creativity can really bloom when they start making things from fabric. Don’t ruin that spark by getting them a flimsy toy machine. Instead spend few more bucks on one of these cute girls sewing machines – all of them will do the job and won’t disappoint. It might even spark their innate talent and turn them into a fashion designer in the future.

But unlike sewing by hand, this definitely isn’t a hobby for really small children. So, if your kid decides that they want to practice it, you must teach them properly. To avoid injury while they’re becoming familiar with the machine, have them use it without a needle at first.

After that, let them stitch on paper. Only when they get accustomed to the machine’s speed, fabric feeding, and the rest of the sewing process, let them use the machine normally. But still, monitor them just in case they need your help.

I hope you like the article and that you’ll teach your kid how to sew. You just have to decide, will it be sewing by hand, or with a machine?