Crafting with grandchildren

My grandchildren live quite close so distance isn't an issue. One thing I would suggest to those who do craft with their GC - why not set them little projects to do when you can't get together? Then you would have lots to compare and talk about on those treasured visits.

JackyB

We just had our granddaughter to stay for the weekend. She is 9. I was teaching.her.to cross stitch. She understood the theory and just needed lots of practice.

I had got some 8 count Aida and printed out a simple design of a strawberry. Unfortunately she had to go back home before it was finished, but she is keen to carry on. I don't know when we shall next see her*, but I am looking forward to finishing it. When it's done, we're going to start working with the sewing machine and sew a little bag and decorate it with the embroidery.

*Actually we shall be seeing her in a couple of weeks when they all come for my 70th, but there won't be any quality time for us then with the house full! Same at Christmas!

Have any of you got stories of teaching your grandchildren to sew, knit, crochet? At what age did you start? Were they keen? Did they carry on on their own once you'd taught them the basics?

That’s so lovely and something they will always remember. I taught my four grandchildren how to knit, paint, embroider and basic sewing. My youngest granddaughter has kept it going and she is really good at knitting. They are 18, 16, 15 and 14. Precious moments spent with them when they are young.

Ha ha, AreWeThereYet - my grandson loves "driving" my robot vacuum about! He will vacuum up all the bits from cooking or crafting , quite happily for ages!

And funny enough cleaning nannies bungalow as I have fun cleaning things . The younger loves the carpet sweeper. I have 2 lime green micro fibre mitts which they also love .

Two of my grandsons used to put my microfibre dusting mitts on their feet and polish the wooden floor by having skating competitions 😆

V3ra

^The smaller ones will chop fruit to a mush though if you don't stop them!^

NotSpaghetti they could always make smoothies!

Yes, we used to have to make those every time they came.
Strawberries, banana, yogurt and icecream
Delish!

The smaller ones will chop fruit to a mush though if you don't stop them!

NotSpaghetti they could always make smoothies!

JackyB

We just had our granddaughter to stay for the weekend. She is 9. I was teaching.her.to cross stitch. She understood the theory and just needed lots of practice.

I had got some 8 count Aida and printed out a simple design of a strawberry. Unfortunately she had to go back home before it was finished, but she is keen to carry on. I don't know when we shall next see her*, but I am looking forward to finishing it. When it's done, we're going to start working with the sewing machine and sew a little bag and decorate it with the embroidery.

*Actually we shall be seeing her in a couple of weeks when they all come for my 70th, but there won't be any quality time for us then with the house full! Same at Christmas!

Have any of you got stories of teaching your grandchildren to sew, knit, crochet? At what age did you start? Were they keen? Did they carry on on their own once you'd taught them the basics?

No sewing, knitting, etc. I only guide in cooking skills.

I've enjoyed doing arty stuff and cooking with one of my granddaughters .
She demonstrates autism .
I start making or doing things and she'll join me.

Notspaghetti she does a fair bit of cooking at home but Idont think they do bread so that’s on the agenda for the Christmas holidays.

For non-crafty grandparents there are some great kits available now and some terrific videos online.

Like Notspaghetti, my grandson “doesn’t do mess at home” so in my kitchen he learned to bake and let him loose with the piping bag which he enjoyed enormously. As he got older I taught him knife skills and we cooked “proper food”. These days he is a competent cook. We also made things out of DAS clay - little pots out of rolled strips, etc - and painted them. I tried to teach him to draw, but he was never particularly interested in drawing and painting. We made little characters out of dolly pegs, pipe cleaners and scraps of fabric and made up stories with them. Noggin the Nog was a favourite. These were very much foul weather activities. Unless the weather was cataclysmic, he was outside at every opportunity and still is.

teabagwoman does she do a lot of cooking at home?

Several of ours love chopping so soups and salads and fruit salads always go down well - not just baking.
I try to make savoury things too and their knife skills ate getting better all the time.

The smaller ones will chop fruit to a mush though if you don't stop them!

Cross stitch is my passion and addiction. Anyone interested there is a cross stitch thread I was so happy to see it. Very talented stitches on there. I use Aida as I can't do it on evenweave those that do are so clever and produced such beautiful work.

Anyone interested in painting have a look at the inspired to paint thread. Such a lot of talent on GN. Including knitting,crochet and sewing . There are even some authors on here ..

DS and family live some distance so would spend one week of each school holiday with us when the DGC were small.

I started with DGD when she was about 4 and we made a simple hans sewn skirt for a favourite dolly. When she was about 5 we started using a sewing machine. She made a simple, elastic waisted skirt for herself, which she wore a lot, and we went from there. At 11 we all clubbed together to buy her a sewing machine and she was away. i would be sent pictures of her in tops and trousers she made herself.

She is now 17 and still uses her sewing machine and skills to alter and embellish clothes. I tried to do the same thing with DGS, but he just wasn't interested.

I do not think it is a gender thing, Our family split broadly in two. Those who are instinctive doers, always with a project to hand, like DH, DD and DGD, who now cooks, does DIY, always redecorating her bedroom, those with no interest at all, like DS and DGS and I am in the middle very kee to do things but cack handed.

Good for you spending time crafting with your granddaughter. My youngest GD is 9 and craft mad. We are having a go at sewing at the moment but a place I can thoroughly recommend for art and craft supplies is The Works. They are a nationwide and on-line chain and carry a large selection of supplies and kits at very reasonable prices. During this half term we made a resin bookmark. Both of us were delighted with the finished article. If ever you fancy a change from crafting, the internet have some brilliant science experiments you can do from home although the volcano is definitely best done in the garden!

We have enjoyed crafting with Gchn both inside and out. They know that crayons, paints and paper are always available here.

GS1 has built many insect homes around our garden, starting with stacking bricks as a toddler through to wood piles and now a teenager making bee homes using proper tools. We had some tree slices and he learned to drill and hammer to his heart’s content. He has never shown interest in my knitting though he did enjoy using the electric sewing machine this Summer.
GD1 knits and crochets, and usually raids my stash when she is here.
We have always cooked when they are here - cakes and biscuits of course but also proper meals to share. The gingerbread houses are a Christmas essential!

I am so lucky that I now have two younger GC who are enjoying joining in with the activities and the older ones are enjoying showing them what to do.
I overheard GS1 explaining to GD2 that G’ma was born before electric mixers were invented so we use a wooden spoon at her house!

With the cross stitch it is good to start off with simple designs with large areas of one colour. Even the strawberry I have found for her has the odd yellow dots for the pips. This involves lots of counting which is good because she doesn't enjoy numbers, so it helps for her to see numbers put to practical use.

I have avoided baking because she does plenty of that with her Mummy and after showing her how to use the sewing machine, I shan't do any sewing as she has a great-aunt who is a wonderful dressmaker.

Also I shall avoid knitting as German women knit differently and I'll never forget an English friend of mine telling the story where she was being scrutinised and criticised in a doctor's waiting room because of her knitting technique.

So that leaves me with cross stitch - maybe more embroidery later - and crochet. I wish I saw more of her!

Forgot to add, another craft she might like is plastic canvas. You can find patterns online; in Canada I buy them from Mary Maxim, but I am not sure if they would ship to the UK. (They do have some lovely downloadable patterns you might be able to purchase and access.)

The advantage of working with plastic canvas is that you typically use yarn and a larger needle, which can be easier for smaller hands to manipulate. I have made numerous things, mostly toys. (I made a car with a camping trailer that can be attached to it, a school house, and a fire station with some firemen, for example.) You can also make lovely decorations for the table or for the wall.

I am a stepmum, not a gran, but my mum started teaching me to sew quite young. My aunt and uncle gave me a needlepoint box kit for a birthday gift when I was I think somewhere between 6 or 7 and 10 (can't recall the exact age) and mum helped me sew it. I still have it today!

She began teaching me embroidery and knitting when I was 12. I sadly have forgotten how to knit, though I would like to take it up again, but as an adult I have got into cross stitch.

I came across an article in one of my cross stitch magazines about a GC learning to cross stitch and doing so by using the small kits that often come as gifts with cross stitch magazines. I live in Canada, but the cross stitch magazines I buy are British; I've seen them in Waterstones and other shops when Hubby and I have visited. (Hubby is a British ex-pat so we go over periodically.)

I might suggest that if you haven't already, you might like to buy or subscribe to a cross stitch magazine. I especially like The World of Cross Stitching for beginners because each pattern includes the level of skill required. (My other go-to, Cross Stitcher, doesn't have this.)

Notspaghetti, I’m another one with a very crafty daughter so my 10year old gd isn’t very interested in crafting with me. Sometimes makes it difficult to think what we can do together.

All mine have crafted from very young.
Start as soon as they can hold a pencil/crayon/brush/glue stick.

One family of grandchildren don't do mess at home so we do it in my kitchen. Some projects have taken weeks to complete. They look forward to doing crafty things.

The others have crafty mothers who are always making things so often don't want to do that with me!

Oh this brings back happy memories of my grandma teaching me to knit!

I was ill and so couldn't go on the family day trip so my grandma taught me to knit and when my family came home I proudly showed them my 'kettle holder' (remember them?).
My mum laughed at all the holes in it but it was a start and I am so happy you reminded me of this today.

I don't knit anymore becasue of my hands but I have knitted with my grandson and my daughter is a keen knitter and crocheter too.

I'm in tears remembering my lovely grandma.

DGS, then about 7, decided he wanted to learn to knit after watching me. I bought some shorter plastic needles and started him off.
He was really very good, only one dropped stitch but suddenly said "This is boring, I'm going out to play on the swing!".

The DGD and I used to collect autumn leaves and make
collages and do other craft, Playdoh, painting etc but none of them have been that interested in sewing or making anything with yarn although they did make puppets from kits once.

So seize the day and do it now before they turn into pre teens
Yes!

They all have other interests now.
My DD still continued with sewing, however.

I do lots of craft with my youngest grandchildren, aged seven and nine, including crochet, painting, drilling wood, collage... Also we do baking - bread, biscuits or muffins. I have a lovely video of my granddaughter when she was two, sitting clothed in a big old tee shirt on a large piece of cardboard on my kitchen floor, mixing emulsion paints and asking if she could paint the soles of her feet. 😄

My grandson who is nearly 7 loves my sewing machine. So try and do something with it if I have him for the day. He sits on my step stool and operates the pedal he's very good and does exactly what I tell him. He loves to see what he has done . He wants to thread the machine next time so will let him. He lives drawing and colouring in . I have tremors in my hands and tells me I am doing better staying in the lines 🤣. He's little brother 4 this month tells me the same as he scribbles all over the page 🤣. The eldest had tried to cross stitch which is my passion but it was to slow for him. I bake with both the boys . Have loads of cutters. I can't roll out but both of them can so now make biscuits that need rolling out.

The eldest weighs all the ingredients and uses the mixer . The younger on puts things into the bowl and tell him when to stop.

They both like making things with card ,playdoh , Lego and magnetic shapes which I brought them from Amazon they are brilliant. I had brought them 2 lots one each . I always ask my daughter for birthday and Christmas presents for them and buying another set for the younger one as he's making bigger things from them.

They both love gardening . And funny enough cleaning nannies bungalow as I have fun cleaning things . The younger loves the carpet sweeper. I have 2 lime green micro fibre mitts which they also love .

Crafting is better for them than electronic things as it uses their imaginations and they learn new skills. Never brought them anything electronic nor will.

I know this is off subject but hate seeing a mom on the bus talking on her phone while the young children has a tablet and watching some show .
Pet hate of mine .