Sunday, April 13, 2008

Weekend Project for the Little Ones


We've been all about keeping little hands busy (and out of trouble) lately. Finger knitting was our first new skill and a big hit. I love that it helps little ones develop dexterity needed for pre-writing skills and Kai loves that she can make snakes and scarves and crowns and more with her own two hands.

Our newest attempt at crafty handiwork projects was embroidery. I've been reading through "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule and she mentions embroidery for little ones being an excellent introduction into the craft. So, I picked up an embroidery hoop, colored burlap, some yarn and the coolest thing ever - a children's needle. It's a little blue plastic "needle" that is safe for kids to use and can't really poke or stab so they're perfect for letting siblings use without fear of one child becoming a human pin cushion.

I was kind of skeptical about whether embroidery would hold Kai's attention, but all it took was a quick explanation and the handing over of the hoop and the girl went to town! She LOVED it and I had to pry it out of her hands when it was time for bed. Since then she's done it several times and is enthralled with it each time. For now she's just making lines and stitches wherever she wants with no rhyme or reason but it's laying the groundwork for a possible interest in embroidery and, more importantly, providing something other than TV to distract her little mind...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So cute looks like she did great!