10 Benefits of Teaching Kids to Knit
It’s important to teach your kids to knit for so many reasons. Today, I’m sharing the benefits of teaching kids to knit that will help their education, health, and overall quality of life.
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My kids have very limited screen time in our home. Out of necessity, we don’t do tablets and we basically only watch tv during family movie nights on Saturdays.
If you’re like me and a million other parents, you may have noticed that entertaining our children with screens usually backfires as soon as those screens are taken away. Something happens in those brains when they come back to reality, and they are momentarily zombies. Often times, very angry zombies.
When kids know how to knit, they have a small, portable project to take with to the dentist waiting room. Kids can pick up and put down a simple knitting project easily, and is a great activity while dinner is being made or an older sibling is getting help with schoolwork. Not to mention the health and educational benefits of knitting.
Teaching your kids to knit is a useful tool, but there are so many more benefits than just giving them something to do.
Do all kids benefit from knitting?
I first introduced my oldest to knit when she was 5 years old. She learned to finger knit without any needles. Once she accomplished finger knitting, she went on to knit on a loom. Soon, she was able to pick up and put down her projects as she wanted. It was there for her when she needed an independent activity or creative outlet.
However, it’s entirely possible to start teaching your kids to knit too soon.
Developmentally, around the time kids are learning to read is a great time to teach them to knit. Knitting follows the same horizontal eye movements as learning to read. If you start teaching your kids to knit and they’re not ready yet, put it away and try in another few months. You know your child best! While they might not be ready to knit, there are several books you can read with your kids to get them excited about knitting.
My next daughter is 3.5, and not quite ready to learn knitting with needles yet. She is ready, however, for finger knitting and winding balls of yarn.
The benefits of teaching your kids to knit
1. It’s a valuable life skill
Knitting is one of those old timey hobbies that is actually incredibly useful. Knitting a pair of socks and eventually wool sweaters, and learning to mend them, are all life skills. And not life skills that they’re likely to learn anywhere else. I’m a big fan of teaching kids (and their parents!) to knit because I think it’s such a valuable skill that isn’t being passed down by generation in the way it used to be. Grandmas, aunts, and moms used to teach kids to knit when they were ready. If you’re not going to teach your kids to knit, who is? If you don’t know how to knit yourself, you can learn to knit for beginners with this playlist.
2. Knitting increases attention span & patience
Some kids are just naturally born fidgeters. Whether waiting at the doctor’s office, listening to you read aloud, or taking a long road trip, knitting gives kids something to fidget with. We’ve all heard the idea that busy hands keep us out of trouble. Knitting busies our kids’ hands in a productive way. The more our kids practice knitting, the more they increase the amount of time that they can listen and be calm.
3. More knitting means less screen time
One of my daughter’s favorite activities is knitting. When kids are knitting, their eyes aren’t fixed on screens, or darting from thing to thing. They become more engaged in conversations and interested in other people and topics rather than whatever comes across their screen.
4. Knitting gives them permission to daydream
When kids knit, they are allowed to daydream and have their own quiet time while they work their stitches. So often we have our kids on the go all the time, or have something playing in the background at home, feeding thoughts to our kids. Not all of these things are bad, but if we don’t let our kids get bored and have quiet time to themselves, they’re really missing out on learning things themselves.
5. Knitting is a creative outlet
We all know that kids need some sort of creative outlet. Some kids color, others fill toy tractor wagons precisely with twigs and acorns, and others build towers and restaurants with blocks. Kids are creative by nature because God is creative, and we’re made in His image. Knitting, whether loom, finger, or with needles, is a great creative outlet for kids.
6. It’s not complicated to set up
Casting on, the steps to get the yarn onto the needle, is a little different from actually knitting. But it’s not complicated to set up. When I start my kids off knitting, they cast on no more than 10 stitches. It’s an important part of the knitting process, but not one they have to repeat until they start another project. Casting on is very simple with the right tutorial.
7. Stress relief
The process of actually knitting can calm our anxious minds. Many adults who learned to knit later in life have said that the reason they learned to knit was to relieve stress. Kids have stressors in their lives too, and while it might not be an aging parent or work struggles, they’re valid. Focusing on the rhythm of knitting needles helps us regulate our breathing. Knitting mindfully keeps you focused on the rhythm of the needles, and has been proven to release serotonin, which is associated with calmness.
8. Knitting develops kids’ fine motor skills
Teaching kids to knit and manipulate yarn in their fingers, or move it from needle to needle helps them have more fine motor control. Their fine motor skills improve with more practice.
9. It improves their concentration & perseverance
When you first are teaching your kids to knit, they will need to pay close attention to what you’re showing them and what their own fingers are doing. This won’t feel natural at first. I can remember that feeling when I learned to knit almost 15 years ago. I felt like I had too many fingers and not enough all at once!
10. Knitting is safe
As far as handicrafts go, especially those with needles, knitting is pretty safe. When you first start teaching your kids to knit, you’ll want to get them thick yarn and needles so that they can see the stitches easier. These thick needles aren’t sharp. They’re slightly pointy at one end only, and they shouldn’t be pointed up at their faces with the right technique. Knitting needles are much safer than hand sewing or embroidering with sharp needles.
>Check out this post on how to babyproof your yarn stash.
Knitting has been scientifically proven to be beneficial, and it’s something our kids shouldn’t miss out on. Even if they put down and pick back up later in life, any time that they do spend knitting is beneficial. Whether your child loves crafting or just needs a calm activity, teaching your kids to knit is a skill that will benefit her and the entire family.
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