Teaching kids to sew is easier than you think, even if you don’t sew yourself. Sewing is a skill that can bring loads of joy and personal satisfaction—a huge confidence builder for sure! From practice sheets to beginner projects, learning to sew can be fun. These ideas will help you get started!
Learning To Sew!
A couple of weeks ago Bella, my 7 year old daughter, spent the night at a friend’s house. This little friend had received a sewing machine for Christmas.
The mom said that well past 10:00 p.m. she could hear the hum of the machine in the basement. The little girls were creating “clothes” for their dolls out of little pieces of fabric and simple straight stitches. Sure, they weren’t perfect, and some might not even qualify as clothes, but they were having fun and being creative—how wonderful!
My friend, assuming that since I sew and have this crafty blog, that I, of course, had taken the time to teach my daughter. She said to Bella, “I bet you sew at home.” Bella replied, “No, my mom is too busy!” OH MY, shot to the heart!
While her response was a bit embarrassing (mostly sad), it was also eye-opening! I knew what I needed (wanted) to do!
Passing on the Gift of Sewing
Sewing is something that I love and I am beyond thankful that my mom took the time to share it with me. It has not only has brought me hours of joy. It has also been a practical skill that has served me well. Thank you, mom!
I want to pass this gift forward. So today, I begin a little sewing adventure with Bella. I don’t want to miss this opportunity to share something with her that is so important and useful to me!
To make it fun and stress free, I have created several beginning sewing projects for us, and I hope you and your young crafter will join us in this learning adventure. Please show us what you are making, and give us ideas of things to make!
We would love to hear your tips and stories, and please feel free to ask questions! I do sincerely hope that you will share this special time with us. So grab a kid and let’s get stitching! It is easy to have a sewing class right at home.
Teaching Children to Sew (Worksheets)
First, even before we wound the bobbin and threaded the machine, was have some fun. I printed out a maze and dot-to-dot so Bella could practice handling the machine. Then we situated her at the table and I showed her how to use the foot pedal and bring the needle down.
These sheets really help improve working in a straight line, lining up the needle, and they provide practice with changing direction and feeding the material in smoothly. You might also like these inspirational practice sewing sheets.
Bella loved the dot-to-dot and trying out new stitches around the maze. Both these activities helped her learn to make the machine stop and go, to stitch straight and make a pivot stitch. The practice sheets are a great idea for low-stress, basic sewing experience. If you mess up a stitch, there’s no pressure, and no need to cut the thread or start over.
As she practiced, Bella became an expert at lowering the needle down into the paper and raising the presser foot to turn a corner and make a pivot. Notice her complete concentration.
Do you remember the first time you sat with your mother or grandmother and learned to sew? How about the first time you tried threading a needle and pushing the needle through the fabric? I can still remember the pincushion and sewing supplies my mom had stashed away. These are memories that last a lifetime. You are creating wonderful memories!
She thought it was funny what shape the dot-to-dot made. Shhhhh, we can’t tell! Oh how I have loved teaching her to sew.
Here are the sheets we used if you would like to have some fun! Download and print using the fit-to-page mode. Print as many copies as you need to, and watch your little one refine their skills.
Dot-to-Dot Sewing Sheet
Maze Sewing Sheet
We have more practice sewing sheets: Free Printable Practice Sewing Sheets
My Favorite Sewing Tools
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Sewing Projects for Kids
Finally, I want to leave you with some resources to check out! We have so many easy sewing projects to help your children develop their sewing skills. From toys and ornaments to pillows and functional projects, something in this list is sure to spark inspiration.
- Drawstring Backpack
- Teddy Bear
- Easy Tote Bag
- Bookmark
- Kids headband
- Doll Dress
- Hanging rainbow cloud
- Hedge Hog Ornament
- Carrot Pencil Holder
- Pillow
- Towel Swim Bag
- DIY I Spy Bag
- Sling Library Bag
- Zipper Pouch ~ this is a bit more advanced but you will be surprised at how easy it is to put a zipper in.
Tell us what you and your kids liked the most. What projects have you tried? Are there other cute ideas for introductory machine sewing that you have discovered? Please share your sewing tips for teaching kids in the comments!
I was so glad to see you included your son. I taught my son (now 42) to sew when he was young. He didn’t understand why I wanted him to learn how to sew, but now that is on his own and 3,000 miles away
he is glad I taught him the “girls” thing as he called them back then. I love the sheets I will be printing them out for my grandkids.
I’m a grandma who has been sewing for over 50 years! Recently I advertised to give sewing lessons and have had 2 students…a 12 year old and a 35 year old!! I made my own sheets, nothing this nice, but they worked well. I was so excited to see these! Bring on the new students!!! Thanks so much (or should I say, “thanks SEW much”?) Dona
I printed the maze twice and not the whole maze got printed. Has this happened to anyone else?
Ooooo…what a great idea! Thanks – my daughter and I are going to learn how to sew together this summer. This will start us off!
Thank you I hope you will let me know how it goes!
I’m so happy I found this site. My girls are gonna love having sewing time with mommy this summer!!
The Janome Sew Mini is a wonderful machine for children! It is easy to handle and is just the right size! You can find this at Hancock Fabrics! Fun!!
Thank you very much for this idea and I will be using them to teach all my children now and in the future to build confidence using the sewing machine! I do a lot of sewing with all the children and teach them to sew as I am a childminder and I have found the boys love to sew as much as the girls! thanks again!
Can you recommend easy and simple but good sewing machines for kids?
That is such a clever idea, sewing a maze or dot to dot. Thank you – my duaghters will LOVE this!
I want to know about this sight please .
What a wonderful idea! I was a SAHM for many years and when my youngest daughter was 6 she wanted to learn to sew so we made a very simple wall hanging quilt. I cut 4 squares of muslin and she took some fabric markers & crayons and drew the 4 seasons on them. Then we went to the fabric store and chose fabrics to represent each season and sewed a border around each square ad then sewed the squares together. When that was done we put the layers together, and finished it off. She loves that wall hanging to this day (she’s 19 now) but realized that sewing isn’t her “thing.” However, all of the baking that I allowed her to help me with sparked something inside her and she’s now attending the Culinary Institute of America to become a pastry chef. I remember becoming impatient every so often and thinking I could get done so much faster if I did things myself but then I would remind myself that I was making memories with my daughter and these are the moments we’ll both cherish in the future, so cupcakes would take 3 times longer to bake and that was OK. Today she tells everyone that baking with me is what inspired her career choice, so keep that in mind!
Now, I’m going to print out your sewing sheets to use with my granddaughters who are 6 & 5 and have been asking me to teach them to sew! Who knows where this could lead!
HI! I am a stay at home seamstress *lol* and I have a son who turns 6 on Easter sunday. I’ve been toying with the idea of teaching him to sew but worried he was too young. I was 8 when i started making skirts. But seeing all these other comments. . . I’ll be teaching him to sew this week. He’s got such a bright imaginitive mind and is always saying mum can make me one of those..maybe he can make some boxers for bed. 😀 Thank you.
I think thinner paper works best! Let me know how it goes.
What kind of paper did you use? Just regular old printer paper? Does a thicker paper work best? Thanks!