When Should Your Child Start Learning to Crochet? Look for These 5 Signs.

Are you questioning whether your child is ready to learn to crochet? There are so many things to consider when your child wants to dive into this amazing hobby.

In the last article I talked about the first five signs that kids are ready to start learning to crochet. I got asked if I had more ideas, and I do. In this article I’m giving you 5 more signs your child should start crocheting. If you haven’t read the first article in this series, you can find it here.

Let’s get started!

1. Your child has some fine motor skills.

This is a question I get asked often by parents. “My child is X years old. Are they old enough to start crocheting?” While this is a valid question, it is less about age, but rather is more about the other skills involved in crochet, including fine motor skills.

Crochet involves fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and some manual dexterity. When crocheting, kids use many different crochet tools and materials, including yarn, crochet hooks, scissors, sewing needles, and more. If your child is able to manipulate and use these items, they are ready to start learning to crochet. Keep in mind that these fine motor skills will improve while they are learning and practicing their crochet skills.

2. Your child likes repetition and finds it calming.

Personally, I love the calming and repetitive nature of crochet. All crochet projects involve following a pattern and making the same stitches over and over again. Sometimes the order changes based on what your child is making, but once your child gets the hang of the pattern and the stitches, they will set off at a good pace.

Some kids might find this aspect of crocheting repetitive and boring. For me, I see it a very different way. I find my stress melting away, and a sense of calm comes over me. This works for kids, too.

3. Your child is patient.

Learning to crochet can be challenging. Your child is learning new hand movements, new stitches, and making crochet projects. Sometimes this doesn’t go very smoothly, and can require several attempts and lots of practice. Kids need to be able to be patient in order to keep trying, not give up, and see results.

I recommend kids learn to crochet in short sessions, 10-20 minutes at a time. This is a perfect amount of time for kids to make real progress with crochet. If they can be patient with themselves while crocheting, they will see progress so much faster. Plus, those patience skills they are developing when crocheting apply to other parts of life as well. People often ask me how I got to be such a patient person. I tell them, “I’ve been crocheting for 32 years”.

4. Your child is willing to try something new.

Learning new things can be hard, for people at any stage of life. I find this is especially true for kids, as so many aspects of their lives are new as they are experiencing things for the first time. Those can include things like learning a new language, playing a new sport, or trying out a new hobby. This can be very exciting, but can also be a little intimidating at times.

Instead of seeing crochet as a new hobby to be conquered, or a challenging skill to learn, I’d like to propose a reframe here. Crochet should be fun! And kids should have a positive outlook and a willingness do try learning new skills when it comes to crochet. We don’t become experienced crocheters overnight. As crocheters, kids should always be wanting to learn new stitches and skills. I am always willing to try new crochet skills and projects. Sometimes they turn out great, others times not so much. Kids also need to lose the perfectionism, and focus on the fun and passion instead. This is the main focus of my online crochet course for kids ages 8-12, Crochet Made Easy! Click the link below this article to learn more.

5. Your child gets excited when they see yarn and the project ideas start flowing.

This is without a doubt your biggest sign that your child is ready to learn to crochet. It was one of the things that made me excited to learn to crochet 32 years ago. I was already a knitter at that point, so going to the yarn store was a regular activity for me.

Yarn stores are without a doubt my favourite kind of store to visit. Even when traveling, I always have to visit the yarn stores in any city I’m visiting. If your child is looking for a new hobby and is considering learning to crochet, take them to a yarn store and see what happens. Once they get over the overwhelm over the number of yarn options available to them, look for 2 things. First, see if there is a particular yarn or colour they are drawn to. Second, if they start talking to you excitedly about the crochet projects they want to make, now that they’ve seen the yarn options. Those are both excellent signs. One quick reminder though. Even if your child really wants the fluffy yarn, please don’t buy it for them, especially if they’re brand new to crochet. Also avoid very thin yarn in the beginning.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the materials I covered in this post in the comments down below. If your child would like to learn to crochet with me, check out the link to my course Crochet Made Easy! below.