Over the last few weeks I’ve learned a lot about teaching
very young children how to tie flies.
With my oldest daughter (now five), she was easy… a couple
times playing with all the tools and materials, then learning to wrap thread, and
finally onto specific techniques of tying materials on.
She wanted to learn how to do things the right way, and much of
the motivation internal making my job a breeze. At a
little over a year old she was wrapping thread and sitting alone at the bench
a few times a week.
My youngest daughter (now 18 months) is a completely different
story. The fly tying vise is the
last thing she wants to deal with, and wrapping thread seems an impossible task for her. I almost gave up at
this point, and figured, I’d try again in a few more months, but I found if I take away the vise, she loves to sit and play with all the other (safe) tools and materials. She spends 10-30 minutes at the desk, moving bobbins
around, playing with the hair stacker, checking out all the feathers and
fur, etc.. This is a victory in my
book! She’s getting familiar with
fly tying, and she is excited for her time at the desk. This will all translate nicely when she's ready to start tying.
If you’ve never tried to tie flies with your children,
please do it! You can never start
too young (or too old for that matter), it doesn't take a lot of time or effort either (seriously just a bit of extra clean up that's it!). Start small and do not expect much. Find ways to make it fun, and most importantly find ways to make it their own. They will thank you in the end, and it will help establish fly fishing
roots deep into their lives and give you a better connection with them as well.
Comments
3-4 years old you may want to keep cutting the hooks, or give tube flies a try, super safe for kids and all around fun to tie on! Here's an older post of mine on cheap tube fly tying.. http://provenpatterns.blogspot.com/2012/01/tube-flies-101.html
Kids 5 and up I'd sit with them and observe for the first few sessions with regular old hooks (debarbed of course), teaching them how dangerous the hooks are is part of the experience, plus kids feel special you'd let them work with something sharp like a hook!
Good luck and if you give it a try let me know how it goes!
The 2 year old should be easier. Basically dole out some safe materials and let them make a mess. Focus on great textured and brightly color materials and thread. Keep trying to get the vise and bobbin in the equation but don't push it. Just let em play!
If you really want to get the most out of the experience I would invest in a second vise (or two), nothing fancy just a couple of cheap ones. Giving them their own little station can go a long way. Especially when you can tie along side of them and they see how much you love it!
I'll sit down with the 2 year old tonight with a big cut streamer hook and try wrapping a little thread. She already loves playing with the feathers and looking at the big streamers and bugs I tie up. We'll see how it goes.
THanks Steve!
Joel ~ Really appreciate you stopping in... your comment made my day!