Finger knitting has been all the rage in playschool lately, despite the fact that my eldest playschooler (almost 6) is the only child who has learned the skill. The other children are interested, but hesitant...
A few days ago, during naptime, I brought out the finger knitting wool that we dyed together as a group during my time at Sunbridge this past Summer. It is thick, soft, and just right...
I gathered the little ones (aged 3.5-4) and we sat down to wind the wool together; an "introduction" to finger knitting, I thought. The children took turns winding the long strand of thick wool around each other's pointer and middle fingers while reciting this short verse...
Help me wind a ball of wool,
wind it gently, do not pull
wind the wool and wind the wool,
around, around, around..
I was ready to begin my finger knitting story, when I realized that the little ones were much, much more interested in winding the wool...
They sat and wound wool for a good long while...
This was enough for them, and it speaks to their development.
I wasn't about to push them to move forward.
They were exactly where they needed to be.
Happy Labor Day, everyone!
I'm still at the winding wool stage too! I really do want to try finger knitting one day!
ReplyDeleteToday hubby and I were making blackberry jam and as I was running every last bit through the juicer I told him that I was so excited to try making dyes naturally like you do and dye those silks I bought! Not a half hour later I find him mixing apple juice into the jug of my precious blackberry "dye" to drink it! His response..."well I didn't think you meant that you were going to do it today?!" It was so yummy but what a guy?! ;o)
Lovely post and so relaxing. I have little to no talent with knitting, but I find it relaxing none the less. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThis is a timely post - I am hoping to start Hazel on finger knitting this fall. Happy long weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love this. :) Asa is 4 and has wanted to knit like us older ones (his daddy, me, and older brother and sister, we all knit), and of course is not ready for real knitting yet. Ella has tried to teach him finger knitting and he's not ready yet. Once he turns 5 this winter, we'll try again. Something magical happens and it clicks, and suddenly they're ready. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet age group you have in your playschool, one of my favorite, favorite age groups, the 3s and 4s!
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this is lovely, you're so in tune with the kids in your care. they have so much to teach us these little ones, not to forget every aspect of everything. when we see yarn we shouldn't just think of what it's going to be when it's knitted but of it's shape and texture and smell. the kids see all this and remind us to see it too :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a daughter that is not a toddler any longer, but her mind will always stay one.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of interaction is exactly what she needs. Thank you for sharing this. You have inspired me to do much more than the norm.
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