Cross stitch can be a great way to occupy preschoolers while they work on fine motor skills.

Preschool Activities {Embroidery}

Posted on by Renee

Embroidery makes a great a preschool activity. No, really!

I think most mothers can relate to the frustration of busy little preschoolers who want nothing more but to be occupied with real work. Chuck and I have always been fans of the Montessori method of learning. Kids want to be seen and capable and helpful. They want real tools to do real jobs. They want pots and pans to play with while you cook, not plastic toy dishes.

Preschooler, Apollo, is fully occupied in his task of hammering rocks. Kids want real work with real tools, not plastic toys.

The summer Apollo was three his favorite activity was hammering rocks. Chuck supplied with him goggles to protect his eyes and explained he needed to wear them and have someone with him while he hammered. You can see how fully engrossed Apollo is. He didn’t want a plastic, toy tool belt. He wanted the real thing.

From the time my oldest child could sit up, we had a drawer in the kitchen filled with lids, containers, and spatulas just for her. It had the double duty of keeping her out of my cupboards and close to me while I worked. This drawer stayed a fixture in our kitchen until Apollo outgrew that stage.
 
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Years ago, when I had a house full of preschoolers and my older kids were busy sewing their own dolls, Mordecai (then six) came and asked me if he could sew.  Soon Hezekiah (4) and Tucker (3) came clambering over asking if they could sew as well.
I got all three boys set up with hoop, canvas, needles and floss. I showed them how to go in and out of the little squares. They just loved it. When they would finish with one color (making completely random stitches of all sizes and shapes) I would set them up with another color.

 

Now admittedly, this project is probably not going to buy you a lot of free time, since you will be replacing floss and undoing knots every 2.3 minutes, but it will give your boys a sense of accomplishment. They will learn patience and diligence. They will exercise their fine motor skills. And probably have a whole lot of fun along the way.

Supplies Needed:

Embroidery Hoops

Embroidery needles

Embroidery thread

Embroidery fabric

{Another great option is yarn and plastic canvas. My kids preferred the embroidery fabric and found it easier to manipulate, but some might prefer the plastic.}

What kind of activities have you found to occupy preschoolers?

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6 thoughts on “Preschool Activities {Embroidery}”

  1. Mine are currently coloring with window markers then cleaning the window. Now granted the windows aren’t exactly clean. But, I’ve drunk very nearly a whole cup of coffee while researching fish tank filters to the sound of their laughter. So it’s a win I think.

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  2. I just got a set of perler beads (those tiny plastic beads that you put on a plastic pattern then iron to fuse them all together), and my 4 and 5 year olds have spent hours with them. Not so great for the 2 year old, but definitely for slightly older preschooler-early elementary!

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