Top Tips for Teaching Hand Sewing to Children in Ages 3-6
Thread the Needle
As the child is first learning, show them how to thread a needle by showing them the eye of the needle and how to insert the thread through the eye. Allow the child to experiment with threading a needle, but help if requested. A child can become disinterested in sewing all together if they get stuck on the first step, and get tired before they begin. As they practice over time, their refinement, fine motor skills, and patience will continue to develop to thread it themselves, but the sewing is the beauty that build those skills.
Change the shelves often
In your classroom or home, change the sewing projects with the seasons, holidays, or celebrations. By teaching about important holidays, you can teach the students about the cultural significance and importance of the event. In repeating a holiday work year after year, they gain a better understanding of the passage of time, an important and grounding element of their development.
You should also follow the child’s interest by getting a project that features their current interests- favorite animal, a new clothing accessory, or special interest. By offering new works often, the child stays motivated to keep sewing and refining their skills.
Use “Up and Down” language
While sewing a running stitch, try using language such as “move the needle up through the fabric” and “down through the fabric”. As the child begins, start with “going up”, then instruct them to flip the needle to move “down, right next to where you came up”, and then “up, right next to where you went down”. The “Up and Down” language creates a pattern repetition that is easy for the child to understand.
Process not project
Their sewing will not be perfect, and that is ok! As true throughout the Montessori philosophy, this work is self-correcting, meaning that they can see when their stitch does not work or look right, and can fix it independently. If they don’t correct it, then let them continue however it looks.
Also true in the Montessori philosophy, this work is not about completing a polished product. It is actually about refining all the skills and benefits that go into sewing- an increased in focus, grip strength, and spacial awareness, to name a small few. As the child continues to sew, you will see them sitting for longer periods of time, stitches becoming more even, and even the ability to thread the needle.
Instruct them to cut the thread close to the needle
To ensure there is enough thread to tie a knot to securely after completing a step, teach them to cut the yarn as close to the needle as possible, then trimming the thread after tying it off.