The holidays are coming! I always get excited knowing that I will be busy knitting and crafting—sometimes all the way until Christmas Eve. I love knitting and find time to knit throughout the year. However, the holidays bring a renewed burst of creativity that encourages me to find projects that challenge me, while at the same time bring me joy and peace. At the end, I have created something useful that I can give as a gift to one of my loved ones.
I was recently reminded that more people have taken up hobbies like knitting and needlecrafts since the Covid-19 pandemic. I’ve also noticed that my local library has started offering more classes that include various options for beginners as well as experienced knitters and crafters. It made me wonder about the benefits of knitting and since I work with parents and children, I wanted to learn about how I could point these benefits out to them.
I immediately found research detailing the positive effects that knitting and crafting had on both children and adults. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of “The Relaxation Response”, stated that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation and yoga. He goes on to say that once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting have been found to lower heart rate and blood pressure and reduce harmful blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. With all the stress brought on during the pandemic I was happy to find that many people used hobbies as a healthy way to cope.
Benefits appear for people of all ages. A mother reported that she was surprised to see her 6-year-old son, Hunter, sit still for more than an hour to knit. The benefits of teaching young people needlework are numerous. Handwork develops focus and concentration. It encourages following a process in order to complete a project. It enhances critical thinking and math skills. It increases hand/eye coordination, small motor skills, and builds self-esteem. Best of all, it provides a means to promote healthy interpersonal relationships between adults and children. This is important because studies show that young people are less likely to engage in risky behaviors when they bond with trusted adults.
Keep in mind that there are a number of important skills kids can pick up from crafting. Here are just a few for each age:
For Preschoolers:
- Crafting helps develop fine motor skills. The act of grabbing a crayon or paint brush develops the muscles that will later help preschoolers button their coats, tie their shoes, write, and more.
- It boosts counting and pattern recognition. Did you know that stringing beads is a great way to learn patterns and practice counting? Those are skills kids will use later on in algebra! Kid crafters can also practice their 1, 2, 3s by counting the number of steps in the instructions or gathering the correct number of components they’ll need to complete their chosen project.
For Kids in Elementary School:
- Crafting encourages critical thinking. The process of creating something naturally gets kids thinking about the final product and the steps they need to take to get there.
- Builds resilience. It takes time to create something, and it may not come out perfectly on the first try. Crafting helps kids understand that it’s okay to make a mistake and to first look for a solution rather than immediately getting frustrated.
- Supports reluctant readers. Reading instructions is still reading! Crafting also gives kids with busy hands something to focus on while they read the next step.
For Tweens and Teens:
- Crafting supports self-esteem. Crafting or doing something creative gives them a sense of confidence and pride. It’s the “Yeah, I made that!” effect.
- Encourages a creative mindset. Engaging in creative activities teaches that there are always multiple ways of completing the same task. Creative thinkers are able to think beyond simply “it works” and are more intellectually nimble in a world propelled by constant change. In fact, about 60 percent of CEOs polled in the 2010 IBM Global CEO study cited creativity as the most important leadership quality.
- Develops patience. We live in a world of instant gratification, but we know not everything is going to happen instantly. When kids craft, they may need to wait for things to dry or set before moving on to the next step — or understand that a craft may take more than one session to complete.
For more information and simple projects to make with your kids, check out the link below:
Passing on Needlework Skills to Young People:
https://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/sites/fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/files/ct-mmb-700.pdf
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.