I’ve been thinking up some sewing projects for 6-9 year olds. I’m teaching my 7 year old to sew. Actually, she’s known the basics of sewing since she was in preschool but she expressed a new interest in actually sewing a project Christmastime. So we went over some basic sewing skills every 6-9 year old is fully capable of. Then we made some really cute stuff!
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Can a 6-9 year old learn to sew?
Absolutely! Like I said, I taught R some basics like sequin and button sewing and practiced lacing in preschool (Sewing Projects for Preschoolers) At around 6 kids have the fine motor skills to make a basic basting stitch fairly even and small. This is all you need for a lot of hand-sewing projects!
Why should 6-9 year olds learn to sew?
I believe sewing is a basic life skill regardless of gender, social standing, or religious beliefs. The earlier we teach this skill the better. Plus you never know when picking up a skill might turn into a lifelong passion! Then there’s the fine motor skills I mentioned. Since I homeschool, when I noticed R was having difficulty with her handwriting, I did something a little different. Instead of having her practice handwriting more, we took a break from her handwriting assignments to play with playdough, practice handstands, and work on sewing. Why? This all helps with fine motor skills by strengthening the muscles in the fingers and hand.
What can a 6-9 year old sew?
Here are the sewing skills 6-9 year olds should and can learn
-Thread beads and sequins
-Sew a button
-Basic basting stitch
With these skills, my 7 year old has sewn pillows, blankets, and even a costume! Let’s take a closer look at the skills for some sewing projects for 6-9 year olds.
Lacing
The first skill we worked on, back in preschool, was lacing. This is basically pushing thread through a hole. Even my toddler E was able to lace some yarn through some holes punched into foam paper. Some of my favorite lacing toys for kids are Melissa and Doug Primary Lacing Beads, and this Wooden Apple Lacing Toy.
Threading Beads and Sequins
Once she was comfortable with this concept, I attached a needle to the yarn to thread big beads, smaller beads, and eventually sequins. Using an embroidery hoop, She was able to sew sequins onto a piece of fabric.
Sew a Button
Button sewing was the next skill. This is probably the first sewing skill everyone remembers learning at some point in their life. Between the ages of 6 and 9 is the perfect time to introduce this.
Basting Stitch
Finally we are still working on the basic basting stitch. This is the exact method of hand sewing most everyone thinks of. The needle and thread go in the fabric…pull…the needle and thread come up the fabric…pull. In and out until the two pieces of fabric are bonded together at the edges. Her stitches were wide and uneven at first and she would often forget whether the thread was coming up or going in. But as she got the hang of the rhythm, I marked small dots on the fabric for her to follow. Kind of a connect the dots for learning to sew!
Using a Sewing Machine
Depending on the child, your 6-9 year old can learn to sew using a sewing machine too. I let R try it out. The material she chose just happened to have grid lines in the pattern so that helped her visualize a straight line. She did great! But I think she is still intimidated by the noise and speed. After finishing that pillow, she went back to hand sewing.
Sewing Projects for 6-9 year olds
Felt Pillow
The first project R made this year was a pillow. She picked some cute felt she thought her friend would like, and found some buttons to match. Then we got coordinating embroidery thread and her own set of needles.
First she sewed on the buttons to one piece of felt.
Next she lined the two pieces of felt together, wrong sides facing. Since this was felt, I didn’t have to worry about the raw edges fraying. This makes a felt pillow a perfect sewing project for 6-9 year olds!
She sewed up three sides and left one open for stuffing.
Finally she filled the pillow with stuffing and sewed up the last edge!
Fleece Pillow
Next she wanted to make another pillow out of fleece.
This time she chose a pillow insert and we cut the fabric to the dimensions of the insert plus a little more for seam allowance.
I showed her how sewing the pillow with right sides facing, then turning the fabric out before the last seam, would hide all her seams.
We tried out my sewing machine this time instead of hand sewing. She did really well once she got over the surprise of the noise the machine makes. Steering the material on a machine is a tough skill for anyone, so this pillow was a perfect beginner sewing project for a 7 year old since it was mostly straight lines.
Simple Costume
My 7 year old’s latest sewing project was a costume! This costume was to be Betsy Ross for a History research project. She wanted an apron and mob hat.
For the Mob Hat
We found some cotton material and cut two circles roughly 18 inches in diameter. I sewed the circumference on the machine leaving a couple inches for turning. Once I turned it I gave the hat to R with dots to follow. She sewed two rings about 4 inches from the edge of the circle. This made a casing for elastic. She measured the elastic around her head before cutting it. We threaded it through the hand-sewn casing she did and sewed the ends together.
Easy Mob Hat for Betsy Ross!
For the Apron
Using the same white cotton, we cut two rectangles about 20 inches by 24 inches, three long rectangles about 18 inches by 4 inches each, and two 4 inch by 6 inch rectangle.
I did the ties by folding the long rectangles in half and sewing across the raw top. Turn and sew the ends.
We did the apron and pockets similar to the pillows. Sew the perimeter leaving space for turning, then close the opening. The pocket gets attached by sewing the smaller square to the middle of the bigger square on both sides and the bottom, leave the top open.
I helped her out again because she was still intimidated by the machine. I attached one of the straps with its center facing the center of the top of the apron. The other two strips I attached to the ends of the first.
That’s it!
Paired with a short sleeved blue dress she already had, R made a convincing Betsy Ross wearing a handmade hat and apron.
Want more sewing project ideas for kids between the ages of 6 and 9? Using the button sewing, basting stitch, knowing how to attach pockets, and how to turn a project, all of these should be easy beginner sewing projects for kids!
Book bag
Here’s a great tutorial from ThreadingMyWay for an easy book bag. It’s a perfect sewing project for 6-9 year olds with the basic sewing skills we discussed!
Drawstring Bag
Planning to make some of these with the girls soon! Awesome tutorial from LittleWorldBigAdventures for a drawstring bag her daughter designed here.
Headband and Scrunchies
R has taken a liking to making headbands and Scrunchies so much that she will be selling them soon! We used these tutorials from ICanSewThis, Not-Sew-Perfect, AliceAndLois, and 13thAvenueco to get her started.
And so much more!