Cross Stitch for Kids

There's this popular irony circulating where the adults are getting more hooked to coloring books, while the kids are glued to their gadgets. This irony, though quite cute and funny, is also alarming, especially for the younger generation. Gone are the days when the recreation activities of the youngters either involved actual human interaction, or a solitary hobby that boosts creativity.

This is why I would like my nieces to start loving cross stitch, as well. My love for sewing first started when I was introduced to my own cross stitch pattern when I was just 10. As a kid, it was definitely fun enough to be able to choose my own thread colors and choose my favorite cartoon character as my first cross stitch project. I had friends who did their own cross stitches as well, and we would be consumed comparing our progresses week after week. This is certainly an experience and skill that I wish the kids of today can experience.

Know what? It's not too late to start re-introducing it to them. Here are some things that I think children can learn from cross-stitching:

1) Patience - there is no shortcut to stitching and this is one thing that may be hard to adapt to for kids, but they will eventually get used to it once they start seeing their progress.

2) Adhering to Adult Supervision - unlike digital games that they can easily do by themselves, cross stitching will constantly require adults' assistance and this is an important aspect in a child's development, as well. They learn to follow their own pattern, but at the same time, they are reminded to seek adults' help once things start to get complicated, which happen a lot.

3) Focus - cross stitch as a hobby demands focus and time. This can be quite a challenge for kids at first, but once they get the hang of it, they'll find themselves looking forward to their next cross stitch session.