Best Sewing Machines For Kids

Sewing is an essential skill that everyone should know the basics of and every home up and down the country. Learning to sew is not only a good skill for life but can also be massively enjoyable for children. 

Teaching your children to sew can be a great way to bond and create a shared hobby that you can both enjoy. Sewing is a great way for children to show their creative side and really give them a task to focus on and work towards. 

In this guide we will be covering everything from choosing the right machine dependant on your child’s age and skill level. 

The table below is a quick overview of the machines that we would recommend. Keep reading below to find out more information on what is the best sewing machine for your child’s age range.  

Please scroll right to view the full table

What age can I start teaching my child to sew? 

There are is a lot of conflicting information about what age you should start teaching your children to sew. I would recommend that you wait until they are at least 6 years old before letting them give a real sewing machine a go, however prior to this you can teach them to sew by hand at almost any age. Childrens hand sewing kits can be purchased on amazon if you are looking to get your child started early. 

What to consider before choosing a machine

Before you jump in and let your kids loose with a new high powered machine you need to ensure that the machine you choose is suitable for your child. If you end up with a machine that is unreliable and keeps losing the threading your child will soon get frustrated with the machine and could easily be put off sewing for life. 

Our top things to consider when choosing a machine are:

• The Type of machine (Mechanical or Computerised – View our guide on machine types here)
• The ease of use
• The range of stitches that it has
• The price (For kids it’s not worth breaking the bank for an expensive machine)
• Reliability

Here is our more comprehensive list of things to consider

Safety 

This is most likely the most important factor to any parent looking to purchase a sewing machine for their child. Most major brands machines come with a number of built in safety features that are in place to help prevent injury happening with their machines. The number one thing to look for when purchasing a sewing machine for your children especially younger kids is a finger guard. A finger guard can be fitted in place to prevent your children’s fingers getting caught under the needle while in use. A lot of machines now come with these as standard in the box however if the machine you have or the machine you are considering buying doesn’t don’t worry, you can buy third party finger guards and easily install them onto most if not all regular machines. Finger guards are very simple to install and are a no brainer if the machine is going to be being used by younger children. 

You can take a look at the finger guards here on Amazon. 

Mechanical vs Computerised 

When looking at the types of entry level machine you will be comparing between mechanical or computerised sewing machines. On a modern mechanical machine the motor is powered from the mains however everything else is controlled by gears, levers and switches within the machine. On the other hand computerised machines have integrated circuits with microprocessors that can control the way the sewing machine works.  You can read more about this in our [beginners guide to sewing machines here]

Number of Stitches

The type and number of stitches is also a major factor that should be looked at when you are a beginner and should play a big part in influencing your decision. When looking at the types of stitches the machines have you need to take into account the types of work you want to be carrying out on them. 

You can read more about this in our [beginners guide to sewing machines here] Or take a look at our comprehensive sewing machine stitches guide.

Price

Price is a major factor to look at when considering a sewing machine for children. It is important to note that you shouldn’t got crazy and spend a massive amount of money on your child’s first machine. While spending a little extra may give you a machine that is a more future proof and comes with a ton more features children have a tendency to break even the most unbreakable things. We would recommend that you try and keep below the £150 / £200 mark to ensure that you won’t be having to fork out a lot of money to replace the machine in the event that it gets broken.