There are many reasons to teach children to knit, and there are a
few guidelines that, if followed, will ensure pleasure and
rewards for both the children and the teacher.

Some people, and therefore some children, are more tactile than
they are mental. In other words, they learn easier, are better
able to concentrate, stay calmer, and/or are better able to pay
attention, if their hands are kept busy.

Some students will be quite disruptive in a classroom if their
hands are not kept busy. Some children will bother their siblings
and get into trouble for the same reasons. Knitting can be an
answer.

Get off to a good start with teaching a child to knit by choosing
a project that holds a lot of interest for the child. With the
popularity of cell phones, iPods, and Palm Pilots, for example,
small cases for each can be knit up quickly.

If the child plays an instrument, he can knit a case for his
flute or recorder, for example. If the child has a favorite doll,
a poncho or blanket can be knit.

The next choice to be made is yarn. Let the child choose, but
make sure the options are all washable, non-shrinking yarns. You
will want to be able to toss the finished project into the
washing machine whenever it becomes soiled.

Also, a yarn with a tight twist to it will be easier for the
beginner to knit without splitting stitches.

Once the project and yarns are chosen, then the needles will need
to be selected. Needle size always depends on the texture of the
fabric you want to knit. For beginning knitters, larger needles,
say size 8 and up, are the easiest to use. Also, the needles
should be the shortest ones available.

If the child isn’t confused by a circular needle, a short one of
size 8 or above is the best solution. When the knitting session
is over for the day, the ends of the needle can be twisted into a
half-knot and no stitches will slip off while the project sits
waiting to be picked up and knitting resumed.

The two main problems a child learning to knit has are knitting
too tightly, and splitting stitches. Children are always
perplexed when they finish a row and have more stitches on the
needle than they started with. By carefully watching and pointing
out the problem, you can help them avoid this mistake.

The same is true of knitting tightly. Remind them that knitting
is supposed to be relaxing, and not to pull the yarn too tightly.
If you observe them as they knit, you can show them that moment
right before they remove the stitch from the left-hand needle,
when they can tug on their stitch and make it a bit looser.

Practice and paying attention to how it feels to knit, thereby
‘teaching’ your hands how it feels when it’s done right, are
really the best ways to get past these problems and become an ace
knitter.

The joy on their faces when they’ve created something with their
own hands is the reward for all those clumsy moments.

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