How To Teach Kids To Sew

Not every kid is going to be excited at the prospect of learning how to sew. However, you may start designing careers for those who really get to enjoy it. Sewing is a creative activity that is perfect for kids in various ways. It will help them be thorough if they want their piece to look good, and patient as well, as they may have to try and try again. Here are some ideas on how to teach kids to sew.

Touch their Pride in a Positive Way

Every kid wants to do well, no matter which activity they are involved in. When they don’t like it, it is usually because they have difficulties getting the hang of it. And so, the teacher needs to be really patient with everyone, in order to make them feel comfortable at the task. That is quite true with sewing, as well. For kids to start sewing and enjoy it, they will need to have someone that makes sure they feel proud of their work, yet encourages them to do better. 

There are other ways to get them to understand that they should stand by their sewing project, head held up high, then just by saying it. One of them is to have custom woven clothing labels printed or embroidered with their name on it. The act of placing the label on their own piece of clothes, just as a designer would, will get their pride up in a second. The younger ones won’t understand the idea of the designer, but they certainly will make the relation with the brands and logos they have in their own clothing. That is a great way to encourage them to keep sewing and create more.

Assess Their Ability and create Projects adapted for Each

If you want for a kid to enjoy sewing, he or she needs to be able to bring to term the project you ask of them, in a way that will please them. If they arrive at the end and the piece of clothing they created doesn’t look good, they will know it, and they won’t want to try again, even though you encourage them to. It is always better to have a child sew something a little under his capacity than the reverse. 

If you teach a full class, your own capacity to discern those with skills and others less gifted with a needle, will ensure that you can control the whole class in a way that everyone is focused and interested. If you lose some of your students along the way, it will most probably be because their task was too hard, and they preferred giving up than trying harder. Of course, not all kids will enjoy sewing, to start with. For those that show an early disdain, try to direct them towards something they could prefer, such as creating accessories to place on the clothes that others are sewing. 

Balance Theory and Practice as Equally as Possible

If you don’t teach your student what they are about to do, they simply won’t know how to go about it. However, the teaching part in sewing should immediately be completed by a practical one, where kids will try to proceed by themselves, using the technique they have just learned. Many teachers lose kids by over-informing them. However, you can also create a loss of interest, if you let them on their own, trying to sew, for too long.

This is also true about creativity. It is important that children learn the basic techniques to sew pants and shirts, that are of a classic cut. But sometimes, they also need to let their imagination run free, to create sewing pieces that no one else could have thought of. Sometimes these classes will end-up with strange creations from students, that almost make no sense, while some of the others will be similar to what a designer would have created, as everyone in the end, has his own style.

Have a Relationship with the Students

If you want kids to like sewing, you need to get involved with them. It is the only way your passion will shine through and they will buy in on it. We all remember the teachers we were closest to, and they usually represent the people that care for us, as we were learning to become men and women. Often, the class they thought us, remained one of our favourite, in time. It should be no different for sewing. Provide them with the attention they need and let them be creative; it should be sufficient to bring them the pleasure of sewing.