Crafting with children

Jan 30, 2012

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or more accurately, what do you do with boys?

I’ve done a lot of craft through the years with Big. We’ve done first hama, midi hama, knitting, sewing, used bead looms and knitting looms, tried out origami and paper making (messy and the results really aren’t that good). She can crochet, and use a sewing machine – she’s basically very proficient.

With Small it isn’t so straightforward. He’s done a few rows of knitting, spread over several years, and some hama beading a while back, he quite likes Fimo, but that’s his lot. A few weeks back at our regular history etc meetup he was offered sewing and you’d have thought we’d offered him poison. He certainly didn’t do any of the hand embroidery that Big is slowly getting in to – turns out her cross stitch Christmas present really was appreciated, phew.

So what do you do with boys? I’m stumped. It’s not that I haven’t offered him the opportunities I’ve offered Big – I have. He just isn’t interested in this kind of crafty stuff. Is it because it’s seen as traditionally more female? I don’t think so. I tried to win him over with stories of fishermen knitting their Aran sweaters, although when I researched this, I discovered that most of it seems to be a myth 🙁

I explained that many of the men around him are perfectly capable with a needle and thread, and had the able assistance of two other boys demonstrating this – he still wasn’t impressed. I’m not sure what to do – the type of dexterity required for many of the crafts eludes him, which could be part of the problem, but at the same time, it would be excellent if I could get him doing them, as he could do with building up the strength in his wrists and hands anyway.

All suggestions greatfully accepted. Am I just approaching it the wrong way with him? Is there a fabulous craft out there that will win over his heart?

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Comments

21 responses to “Crafting with children”

Susannah
30 January 2012
I suppose things like woodwork are the classic “boy” crafts – things involving sawing, hammering, drilling etc. Would he respond well to making something functional which he would then want to use himself – something like a catapult (I don’t know if that’s too “weapony”) or a toy car or something? Alternatively, might he be interested in something like building a willow tepee (long-term, I know, since you’d probably want to grow the willows in situ!)
I don’t know if these are things you could access via workshops (probably not at home!), but might things like glassblowing or metalwork (especially if it involved soldering!) catch his imagination?
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1. Jax
  30 January 2012
  Gosh, that must break the record for the quickest comment after publication! Thanks 🙂
  Have done a bit of woodwork with him, it didn’t do a lot for him. I suppose I ought to consider the various electronic kits he’s done as craft oriented too, I hadn’t really thought of those in that way. Metalwork might go down well, I’ll have to look in to what’s available. Great suggestions, thanks.
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Another Goldfish
30 January 2012
Would he be any better with cooking, baking or growing things?
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1. Jax
  30 January 2012
  I missed out that he’s not very fond of getting messy/ dirty, so cooking and baking don’t really do it for him. Not sure about the growing – he’s going to be spending some time at the allotment this summer, so I guess we’ll find out about that then.
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Carol
30 January 2012
Seb rejected all crafts that I had offered the girls. For him we did things ‘tap tap art’ when he was younger, maxi hama, painting, then he moved on to woodworking, paper craft/collage, stone carving (great with soapstone or bathstone but a lump of chalk would do.) We bought sticker shapes, fuzzy felt, did large bead threading, paper weaving. Now he does his own woodworking, papercraft and electronics plus lego is HUGE here and we have decided it is a craft too.
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Midlife Singlemum
30 January 2012
If he likes the ectronic kits why not go in this direction until you find something else practical that he enjoys. Maybe there is an electronics or robotics after-school club in your area. Is he interested in any pother physics related subjects such as astronomy? I know this isn’t crafting but it’s an interest that can go far.
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Sarah
30 January 2012
My boys love designing and making Lego minifigures- selecting parts from what’s available but also customising them with pens, fimo etc
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dawny
30 January 2012
there are a few crocheting men on you tube doing demos . . . . it might not help at all but worth a glimpse xx
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Tasha Goddard
30 January 2012
What about painting figures? Warhammer and the like, though possibly something less warty? I know a lot of boys lived that. Or building model planes? Junk modelling of a more complex nature?
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Elaine
30 January 2012
My boys do Lego, junk modelling and cooking as crafts.
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HHaricot
30 January 2012
i must admit to being non plussed by the firm men do not sew!! however 🙂 think soldering iron 🙂 wire and pliers etc?
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Ellen Arnison
30 January 2012
I don’t think it’s a gender thing – I was never keen on craft as a kid. I’d rather have been reading.
I have three boys though and they have variously done Lego, painting, Airfix (or similar), creating things out of that packaging stuff. They’ve also decorated dens and carts and my middle boy spent a long time decorating my bra for the Moonwalk last year.
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Chris at Thinly Spread
30 January 2012
My boys have all crafted but the thing that got my reluctant number 2 going was stone carving at The Big Green Gathering…they also made flutes out of big bamboo making the holes with a hot iron rod straight from the fire. They have always enjoyed making muscial instruments, rockets, robots etc but also sewing…particularly if they were sewing something which could carry a weapon, making quivers for arrows etc.
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Alison
30 January 2012
We did soap carving a few weeks ago, using playdoh tools. Oh, and actual play dough works too 😀
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Alison
31 January 2012
Seriously, we’re looking at this as a boy/girl thing?
I really don’t like doing crafty stuff. Why do you expect or want Small to?
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1. Jax
  31 January 2012
  Small is looking at this as a boy/girl thing. He was hilarious at HH’s, insisting that sewing is for girls, despite the evidence to the contrary right in front of him in the form of his friends the Fishes sewing away. It’s not so much that I want him to do crafty stuff as I’m wondering if I’ve missed out on offering some things that he would have enjoyed and got a lot out of because they aren’t crafts I’m familiar with. Also he does need something to help strengthen his hands as the weakness there is limiting even his drawing now, and craft type stuff is an obvious route.
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Ailbhe
31 January 2012
People do guitar and piano to strengthen hands too. But crafts are largely framed as feminine by marketing even for toddlers, so there’s probably an element of that in it.
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camille
31 January 2012
I don’t think it is a boy/girl issue, just a preference thing. My kids love crafting and will try anything offered, I do try to vary as much as possible what we do. We are hoping to cover as many crafts as we can in our home education journey, hopefully we will find the one that fires their passion along the way.
My son also has sensory issues (as do I) with touching messy things, metal and some types of paper but he has managed to join in with all that has been done so far by me just being aware and making a few adjustments, he also has the option to wear latex gloves for very messy things.
He loves construction a lot and helping Dad make stuff like bug houses, making electronic stuff and he has also recently shown an interest in paper quilling and has asked to learn crochet and sewing …but I will let you know how we get on with that.
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Geeky Mummy
31 January 2012
I am a big boys are different from girls advocate but I don’t think crafts are just for girls. I think it’s a personality thing. If he doesn’t like getting dirty that could be a factor too.
Lego, meccano, Kinnex etc all creative activities too.
I doubt my son will end up making any fairy castles, but he isn’t quite two and loves gluing, sticking and painting. So yes, what we make may be different from his sister, but I’ve seen no evidence that he isn’t into crafts.
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mamacrow
1 February 2012
I don’t know about fishermen knitting their jerseys – I’m pretty sure in Aran and the like, it was women that knitted, mainly – but certainly shepherds knitted, both here in sussex and in Yorkshire – my MIL told me about seeing them, with long knitting needles both tucked up under an armpit (FIL is from Barnsley).
I also have a vague memory of a knitting bishop, who knitted his own Mitres and things…
We’re not big here on cross stitch although we have had a bash at knitting and simple sewing. Peg dolls are fun – we did a whole battle field of different soliders, using glue rather than stitches – and what about oragami, would that appeal to his mind? Fiddly enough to stimulate motor control, not too feminine? Fluff likes paper houses kits too, what about those – you can get castles and things…
A lot of the other stuff we enjoy is messy stuff – clay, painting, and the the like…
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Lins
2 February 2012
I can’t remember how old small is but I think this site is AMAZING for older boys (http://www.stormthecastle.com/) He has made a great foam board sword from it recently.
Also, I would echo the comments about Warhammer being fantastic. My eldest who is not drawn to crafting will spend hours doing detailed painting on figures and creating scenery and landscapes. Not only that but he is creating a whole imaginative world to go with it and then playing with friends for hours. I think it’s wonderful stuff.
My other son loves Fimo, needle felting (stabbing things), soap carving, building models from kits and tying knots. They both like hand knitting (much quicker and easier than with needles as I’m sure you know), sewing with the sewing machine, Chinese brush painting, cooking (particularly “interesting” things like fortune cookies), making bows and arrows, wood whittling and designing board games.
Hope something there may spark an idea or two although you’ve probably thought of it all!
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