From tangled yarn to teamwork

This Saturday, 21 children learned to crochet. A facilitator from aikyam’s stitching unit led the session, bringing a skill already present within the community into the Curiosity Club. We organised the children into three groups of approximately seven and gave everyone a crochet hook and colourful yarn. Some of the boys hesitated at first, saying they did not want to try crochet. Once they had the materials, their interest grew quickly. Most of the children concentrated and tried to understand the movements. Supporting everyone with one crochet facilitator was challenging. She explained the technique to one table at a time, meaning some children had to wait. Several children already knew how to crochet, so we encouraged them to help someone else. They demonstrated the movements, encouraging and patiently supporting their friends. What began as a practical challenge became an example of peer learning, cooperation and children sharing skills. Our main learning was that an activity like crochet needs a clear whole-group demonstration at the beginning. Next time, we would first show the basic movement where everyone can see it before moving into smaller-group and individual support. We would also identify children with previous experience earlier and pair them with those needing additional help. Initial hesitation soon turned into concentration, conversation and shared learning. The session reminded us of the value of drawing on skills from within the community and giving children the opportunity to learn from both adults and one another.