Encouraging Handicrafts

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  • February 11, 2011 at 6:24 pm
    LindseyD
    Participant

    I was wondering how to encourage my children (dd5.5, ds7) to work on handicrafts. We will start projects, and then they won’t ever pick them up to finish them without my prompting or reminding. Maybe I haven’t found something for them to work on that they really enjoy?

    I don’t want to discourage their playing, because they do play well together. But I envision afternoons of quietly sitting and working on sewing or knitting or whatever. I think, maybe, I’m romanticizing something…Innocent I go through phases–I won’t touch my sewing machine for weeks, and then I’ll get a spurt of sewing energy and sew for days. Is this to be expected with children too?

    What are some good handicrafts for this age?

    What are ways to encourage the completion of projects without nagging or prompting?

    How can I encourage them to spend part of everyday working on a project by themselves (with my help, as needed, of course)?

    Blessings,

    Lindsey

    February 11, 2011 at 6:43 pm
    csmamma
    Participant

    Our boys do their handicrafts during family read-aloud time – usually in the evening with dad. This way, there’s no nagging to finish, they just pick it up and once its completed, move on to another. At that age mine started latch-hooking. There are simple childrens kits at most craft stores. Just an idea. Bless you & yours, in Christ.

    February 11, 2011 at 7:05 pm
    momto2blessings
    Participant

    I can’t speak from experience, have not been good with this.  But my plan is for Valentine’s Day to give each of my kids around $20 to pick handicraft kits from:

    http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/ChildrensCrafts

    I’m hoping they’ll need minimum help from me, and hope they’ll be motivated since they get to pick their own.  I planning on scheduling afternoon rest time to work on them.  We’ll see how it goes:)  Good luck!   Gina

    February 11, 2011 at 8:28 pm
    suzukimom
    Participant

    Just thinking to my youth… I started needlepoint (a large mesh) at age 7.

    But… I was on a trip to England with my mom, and so there was lots of time with nothing for me to do… plane ride, and while my mom visited with older relatives (with no toys), etc…   so there was a lot of incentive because my choices were to read (which I enjoyed) or to do needlepoint….

    shame I can’t recreate that with my kids… LOL!

    February 11, 2011 at 10:12 pm
    houseofchaos
    Participant

    Hi Lindsey,

    We also have our children doing handicrafts a during the evening read aloud, plus a couple of afternoons a week (usually).  

    Weaving potholders, loom knitting a washcloth, latch hooking are a few I can think of that they might enjoy.

    Gaeleen

    February 11, 2011 at 10:41 pm
    Jodie Apple
    Participant

    I think it’s hard for most people to finish something.  Our daughter started a latch hook project and it took her almost a year to finish it.  To encourage her through the periods of “not caring if it ever got finished”, I would do half a row with her and she would finish that row.  Also, I told her she could set the timer and work on it for ten minutes 3 times a week;  that way she knew I wasn’t expecting her to work for too long on it.  She discovered that 10 minutes wasn’t really that long.  I explained to her that she would feel better about finishing what she started and that she wouldn’t have to do latch hook again after this if she didn’t want to.  (She still complained at times.)  BUT, at the end she admitted that she was glad she had finished it and to see her discover a sense of accomplishment for herself was priceless.

    I think we will choose a smaller project for next time so she will have a finished project in less time.  There are cute bookmarks that can be crocheted in no time.  Lion Brand Yarn has free patterns on their site.

    By the way, I envision the same thing as you;  afternoons of peaceful handicrafts time!  I’m beginning to think I was born in the wrong time period!  Wink  Good luck!

    February 11, 2011 at 10:58 pm
    thepinkballerina
    Participant

    My kids aren’t interested too long unless I am sitting with them. It usually takes some time for them to catch on (ages 8, 6, and 3) especially my middle dd, and they are impatient to concentrate too long. 

    Ours are around the same age, so I think we can’t expect them to sit more than 15 to 20 mins, don’t you? 

    We really enjoyed the Alex Giant Weaving Loom. My dd age 8 is really in drawing and  watercoloring now which she WILL do on her own. They also like to just sew on felt scraps, making up pictures, sewing on buttons, or simply sewing stitches to get practice before we do a real project. 

    What about origami?

     

    We made it our goal to do a handicraft only 2 days per week. More if we really enjoy and need to get it done more quickly.

    Tara

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