My daughter was 7 when she first started asking to stitch. I was nervous and unsure if she could handle the needle, or the frustration of thread tangling. I didn't anticipate how many times I'd be licking thread to rethread the needle, removing incorrect stitches, or talking her down from throwing it all away. But hear me when I say—it was worth it!
If you've been waiting for the "right age" to stitch with your kids (or you've tried once and it went sideways), this guide is for you. Here's what I've actually learned doing this with three children at very different stages, and what I'd want a friend to know before her first try.
1. It's never too early — start with a rainbow.
The most common question I get from moms is, "How old does my child need to be?" And honestly, I've known children at ages 5 and 6 who started stitching! The real question isn't how old but it's whether your child is asking and whether you have the time to sit beside her and start teaching.
Now, If your little one has been watching you stitch and is showing interest, then it’s time to start. But here's the surprising thing: don't start with a kit.
Instead, prep a hoop yourself the night before. Then in the morning, let her watch you draw a simple rainbow on the fabric with a transfer pen. Work together to pick out the floss colors and turn that into a small lesson while you're at it. What order does a rainbow go in, what color comes after yellow, and so on. Then teach her one stitch and one stitch only . . . a back stitch! And let her work the whole rainbow in just that.
For this very first project, you are doing all the prep work for her. You trace, you set the hoop, you thread the needle. There's no need for her to learn every single part of embroidery at once. All you want her to feel right now is the simple joy of pulling thread through fabric and watching a line appear, stitch by stitch. That feeling of "I made that" is what's going to get her hooked. As that excitement grows, her willingness to learn all the nitty gritty details will come.
Take your time at this stage. Her lines will be wobbly and her color choices won't be what you would have picked — but be excited and proud anyway, and make sure she knows it. This stage isn't about a beautiful hoop. It's about helping fan that desire into flame—to stitch with you, and being proud of her in the process.
Bonus tip: Do this more than once! Start with a rainbow, then do a second one with her name stitched underneath. Want a really sweet gift idea? Have her write "I love you" on a 4" hoop and stitch that. Hellllloooooo, perfect Grandparents Day gift. 😉
2. When she's ready: her first real kit.
It was watching my own daughter's love for embroidery grow (while feeling she wasn't quite ready for a full Abide kit) that pushed me to start the Abide Kids line. These kits were designed for exactly this "next step" in a child's embroidery journey: a child-sized 4" hoop, only a few stitch types so the learning curve stays gentle, Scripture passages and discussion questions woven into each section, and short tutorial videos for every stitch.
So once she's finished a rainbow or two and she's asking what to try next…that's when you bring out the "Jesus Is King" Kids Kit!
When you do, sit together and talk through how the hoop works, why we use two layers of fabric, how we trace the design with the transfer pen, and all the other little details. At this stage, you can also start handing parts of the process over to her…let her try tracing the design herself, and see if she can thread her own needle. Every small piece of ownership you give her will keep her invested in the project. Even so, you'll still be doing most of it for her, especially the threading. ‘Tis the season!
As you teach her new stitches beyond a back stitch, watch the YouTube tutorial together first, then demonstrate the first two or three stitches yourself so she can see your hands do the work. Depending on your child, you may need to have your own hoop to demonstrate on, or she may let you stitch directly on hers. Work with what's best for her.
And don't rush her through the kit to "finish." A child who takes three weeks on one hoop is not behind. Stitching with Abide isn't about racing to a finish line, rather it’s about the gift of going slow.
P.S. — Keep an eye out this fall for our newest Abide Kids kit!
3. When she's hungry for more: a new stitch a day.
When she's finished her first kit and you can see she's ready to tackle a larger project (but maybe not quite an adult kit just yet) the 17-Stitch Practice Kit is the natural next step. It teaches seventeen different stitches across one hoop, with each stitch taught by either you or the short tutorial video that comes with it (most run under five minutes).
You can work through the kit in 17 days (a new stitch each day) or stretch it over six weeks at three stitches a week — find the rhythm that works for your family.
It fits beautifully inside a homeschool morning, into the quiet slot before dinner, or wherever your family has a pocket of unhurried time. By the end of it, she'll have a finished hoop and a real working knowledge of seventeen new stitches!
4. When she gets discouraged (and she will).
It will happen. Probably more than once.
When it does, the best thing you can do is tell her your journey in learning embroidery! What was your very first hoop like, how many times you've had to pull stitches out and start over, the moments when you've wanted to set the whole thing down forever. Tell her you still mess up! She needs to know that.
Then remind her: every skill worth having takes practice! Stitching is one of the rare hobbies that lets a child see that in their own hands. Confidence (in any task) isn't given, rather it is built! And you can help build that confidence through embroidery stitch by stitch. Be a mom who sits beside her when she wants to quit and says, let's try one more.
