Before we know it those long summer holidays will be here and we'll be frantically searching around for ideas to keep the kids occupied for the duration of the 6 weeks. With plenty of time to spare, the summer poses the perfect opportunity to learn a brand new skill from scratch. The holidays are notorious for slowly eating into your bank balance, so a good hobby is something that can be cherished and usually enjoyed mostly cost free.
As well as being one of the hottest trends of last year, cross stitch, embroidery and needlecraft are the perfect hobbies for any child to pick up. But in case you need any persuading, here are 8 reasons why you should teach your child to stitch this summer.
#1. Mindfulness
There's no surprise that embroidery has been linked to mindfulness. Everyone is always rushing around, being taken from one class to another after school class and before we realise, we've had no time to stop and think. Needlecraft is the perfect switch off from every day life, it's perfect for those who may suffer from anxiety and low self esteem too. It really is a great all rounder, and a perfect hobby to get stuck into before the schools go back. Then they'll always have it to come back to once they are back in school for a little escape in the evenings!
#2. Beginners - Advanced
Whether they're a complete beginner or are verging on a more advanced level of stitching, stitching can easily be catered to all abilities with a wide range of projects, kits and books available on the market. If you're not sure where to start, direct your child to our extensive range of cross stitch kits and let them pick out their first design so they can be as enthusiastic about it as possible! We'd recommend our range of characters cross stitch kits, where they may spot one of their favourite cartoon stars! We definitely have a soft spot for Tatty Teddy!
#3. Banish Boredom
'I'm bored' and 'what can I do today?' - sound familiar? Banish boredom for good with a good cross stitch kit to work on, we promise you won't even hear a peep from them as they become more absorbed in bringing their design to life stitch by stitch.
#4. Hand Eye Co-ordination & Motor Skills
Crafts and hobbies hold a massive importance for little ones, as things like holding a paintbrush and threading a needle to following a pattern can help children to gain the necessary skills that they need to control themselves. Cross stitch and embroidery is a perfect way to fine tune their skills as the careful task of threading a needle through the holes will help to strength their hand to eye co-ordination and to follow a pattern. Our range of children's needlecraft kits are perfect for little ones as they're mostly done on 6 count aida which is perfect for little hands!
#5. Bonding Time
The summer holidays always arrive and end with a blink of the eye so make those days count all the more this year by spending some quality time together bonding over some stitching. Switch it up by only stitching from a homemade den for the day, and having plenty of snacks and picky food on the floor. It will make their first stitching experience and your bonding time all the more special!
#6. Sense of achievement
Stitching gives you a sense of achievement that other daily tasks or activities just can't give you. Once your little one has finished their project they'll be able to see how far they've come from their first stitch, and see how well they've recreated the design in stitching. We all know how good it finally feels to finish a craft project you've finished working on and it will give your child something to talk about and show on their first day back at school!
#7. Digital Detox
There probably isn't a day that goes by that children aren't exposed to an Ipad, Iphone or computer. These digital stresses are affecting our children in more ways then we think including mood swings, irritability and low self esteem. Whether it's an evening, a day or a week, create a digital free zone for a certain period of time to allow them to focus on the task at hand. They'll be so engrossed in stitching that it's the perfect distraction from whether they got 11 likes on their last Instagram post or not!
#8. It's fun!
Most importantly it's fun, but in a different way to video gaming and children's Birthday parties. Having something that your child can work on by themselves, for themselves is something that all children need. It shows the importance of being able to enjoy their own company and work off their own initiative whilst watching something come to life that they've done by themselves! The only problem is that once they start, they may catch the stitching bug for good!
Don't forget to take a look at our range of children's needlecraft kits to get their first kit sorted in time for the summer holidays! Look out for our future posts over on our Facebook Page, Twitter and at Google+.
