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Knitting: good for idle hands and keeping the brain busy
Filed under: Activities: Babies, Development/Milestones: Babies, Day Care & Education
Both of my older children have attended a Waldorf school where handwork is part of the required curriculum. Handwork involves everything from sewing to knitting. My son hates this class for the most part, but my daughter took to handwork, especially knitting, immediately. The theory behind this teaching method is that the movement of the hands helps form pathways of thinking, problem solving, and higher-functioning thinking. Knitting is supposed to help develop nerve networks which will then help improve the thought process. Knitting is not just for grannies or creating cute baby hats. The art has been used to help athletes improve their eye-hand coordination and strategic thinking processes. Children who are restless often find the repetition of the process calming. It is a great activity to help get your children away from the television and involved in a conversation. It is also an activity they can easily do on their own. Although my daughter no longer attends the Waldorf school, she will often grab a ball of yarn and just start knitting with no goal in mind. The soothing process of doing something with her hands gives her satisfaction; she ends up with a creation that gives her pride.
My daughter has given me a couple of knitting lessons so that we can have an activity we can do together. I am still quite clumsy and ruin most of what I knit, but I am trying. I am hoping that the process will soon be fun and help me to focus better.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-28-2006 @ 4:26PM
Erin said...I don't knit, but I started cross-stitching when I was in the 5th grade. Our teacher made us do a needlework sampler for an art project and I fell in love with working with needle and thread. (In fact, as I write this, I have a partially-finished quilt on my lap.) I love the idea of introducing hand crafts to children as part of the school curriculum. It sounds like your daughter has been given the beginnings of a life-long hobby. That is so cool!
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10-28-2006 @ 5:09PM
ann adams said...I did much more crochet, embroidery, (and a little tatting) than I ever did knitting. I think I learned knitting first though. I'd go back to it but my eyes, even with bifocals, won't let me.
I'm glad to see the revival of all the crafts.
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10-29-2006 @ 6:54AM
Erika said...I teach a lot of kids (high school) with learning & emotional disabilities/disorders. We introduced crocheting - let me tell you, it's amazing how they can focus once their hands are working that yarn!
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10-29-2006 @ 9:42AM
thordora said...My husband grandma taught me to knit after my first was born, and I taught myself to crochet shortly after that.
I prefer crochet for a "zen" like state-something simple really calms me and fixes my manic fidgets sometimes.
AND, it makes for some really neat Xmas presents.
A lot of girls my age sorta "renounced" women's arts, and now seem to be claiming them back. It's sad that it was every considered something worth being rid of.
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10-29-2006 @ 11:40PM
Mama Grouch said...I just taught a group of girlscouts how to knit a couple of weeks ago and I was just amazed at how quickly they picked up on it (3rd through 6th grade).
If you are thinking of teaching your kids to knit or want to brush up on new techniques for yourself you should check out http://www.knittinghelp.com/ - she has videos of all of the stitches using both american and continental style. The videos are very short (30 seconds to a minute long) and very easy to follow, unlike many sites that have confusing line drawings.
I love knitting, especially now that it is winter (or almost) here in minnesota. I like to think of it as how I justify watching TV.
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10-30-2006 @ 1:37PM
Jason said..."A lot of girls my age sorta "renounced" women's arts, and now seem to be claiming them back. It's sad that it was every considered something worth being rid of."
I agree. The book Stitch-n-bitch has an interesting take on it. I think what is key is that men need to also start valuing and doing "women's work." I just learnt to knit about six months ago and I love it for the reasons mentioned above.
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