Sewing and mending are important life skills, as well as being a source of fun and creative expression. However, with fewer and fewer schools offering any kind of sewing or textiles lessons, are us adults doing enough to pass on these skills to children and young people? After all, the planet will be in their hands before long. In this episode (Ep.# 33), I argue the case for encouraging kids to sew, and offer up ideas and tactics for how to do so, whether you are a parent yourself or not. 



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Why should we encourage kids to sew?






Life skills



Empowerment and self-sufficiency



Preservation of resources



Passing on knowledge 




How can we encourage kids to sew?




Observing modelled behaviour and through play



Keep your goals small and expectations low



Allow them see you or someone else sewing and enjoying it



Let them play with your fabric scraps



Facilitate their project ideas - apply patience! 



When their clothes need fixing, encourage and talk them through mending the item themselves



Put on the Great British Sewing Bee (or other sewing TV show), or leave sewing magazines around (I find my kids are particularly interested in the kids’ editions of Ottobre Design magazine) 



Make them a garment and allow them to make a lot of the design decisions



Summon the power of attention from a non-parental figure!



If the kid doesn’t live close by, send them a little sewing kit and/or some fabric, along with the offer to help out when you next see them



Appeal to their interest in technology and gadgets and/or ‘having a go’. 



In an age appropriate way, help them to use your sewing machine. 



Teach them the basics to use your machine and leave them to it



Find out if a local sewing school/business runs kids’ sewing classes



Find out if the kid’s school has an afterschool sewing or craft club



Host a sewing party for a child and their friends