Monday 1 August 2011

Simple toddler sewing

I love sewing and have enjoyed lots of crafty sewing projects over the years, so I was naturally keen to share this with my children. Sewing does require quite a bit of skill and manual dexterity, so it takes a little while for a child to be able to manage sewing with a needle and thread. I saw this gorgeous toddler friendly sewing basket online a little while ago, and it inspired me to think about how I could introduce a toddler to sewing before they could be trusted with a needle.


I was in the supermarket, and I found a sink mat in the sale. It's light, easy to hold, and has plenty of large holes, and I thought that it would make a nice sturdy basis for Harry to thread some yarn through.

Using a sink mat for first sewing

I made a needle with a pipe cleaner, so that I could bend it around the coloured wool. I also tied a second pipe cleaner to the end of the wool so that it couldn't be pulled through. I let Harry watch while I started sewing, and of course he was desperate to have a go himself.

Sewing with a toddler

He was intrigued by the process, and concentrated very hard on threading the wool through the holes. He was a bit sporadic in his placement of the thread but that didn't matter, it was all about the process. As he gets older I will add different things for him to thread through. I'm thinking about trying weaving and sewing other items on like perhaps large buttons.

Teaching a toddler to sew
If you want to try something similar with your child you might also enjoy this post from Tinkerlab - Even Toddlers Can Sew - which you can do with materials from around the house. You might also want to hone those fine motor skills with a selection of items for threading in a threading busy bag.

If you have an older child that has shown an interest in sewing and is ready to make their first project with a needle and thread you might like our simple first sewing project - lavender bags

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful post - I have added it to my sewing with kids board as well as the Baby and Toddler play board on pinterest.

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