By Tawni Rogers
I think it's a very natural idea that everybody has once they feel like they've gotten really good at a craft or a hobby: they want to share it with people around them. They want to teach; they want to show everybody why they enjoy it so much. They want to maybe have people who enjoy it with them so they can form groups or clubs.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little crochet inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
In the past, I've tried to teach several people. One of my really good friends wanted to try to learn, and I've also tried to teach my niece every now and then.
She Asked to Learn, So I Bought a Kit
My niece is so sweet. She sits and watches me crochet a lot, and it eventually got to the point where she was asking if she could learn to do it. Now, keep in mind, she was probably seven years old at the time when this was happening, and I thought I could teach her.
I bought a super easy kit from my local store that came with a little hook and a little yarn, and it said it was beginner-friendly. It said it was for ages five and up, so I thought we were going to be great, but it did not last very long with us.
Why Single Crochet and Slip Stitch Sound Foreign
When I'm teaching crochet, I think I forget how foreign everything sounds. In my mind, single crochet, double crochet, slip stitch, chain- all of those are normal words I use and read in my patterns all the time. And I don't realize how foreign that sounds to somebody else.
Even when I'm trying to explain, you loop the yarn around the hook and pull through. Very easy for me, but it's a difficult concept for whoever you're trying to teach. And I quickly forgot that it wasn't as simple as I was making it.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little crochet inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
Thirty Minutes In, She Was Frustrated
As my niece and I sat trying to make this simple little butterfly, I think we probably worked on it for about 30 minutes, and she reasonably so got frustrated. I quickly learned that I wasn't explaining things very well. I was probably going too fast, and when someone starts something and gets frustrated that quickly, they don't really want to finish it.
Teaching Chains First, Over a Few Days
If I were to do this again, I would slow down and teach her in segments over a couple of different days, just like I learned. I would sit and teach her how to make a chain. And then as we made chains together, and as a couple of weeks went by, then I would bring her back, and then we could start on working in the round or doing single crochets.
And I think she would have had those foundations a little bit better.I just jumped off and thought that this kit was going to teach us all, and she would be fine. She didn't finish the kit or the project, and she got really frustrated in the process.
Kids Get Frustrated Faster Than Adults
Of course, this was a more challenging situation for me because I do think kids tend to get frustrated more quickly, thinking that things are going to happen faster and not be as difficult as they look. When I've tried to teach adults, they do have a little bit more patience for the project. I do think I need to get better at slowing down, explaining things better, and helping them realize that this isn't something they're going to learn in one sitting.
But when you're teaching children in particular, you just really have to set expectations correctly with them and let them know that it's a normal part of the process.
