The picks
Best Crochet Hooks for Kids
Bigger than you think, blunter than you think, and with the yarn chosen as carefully as the hook.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 12, 2026
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The short answer
Start a child on a 5mm to 6.5mm hook with worsted weight yarn, in a light solid color. Larger stitches are visible stitches, and visible stitches are what makes the thing learnable. A soft grip helps and color-coded sizes help more than you expect. Avoid steel thread hooks, fine yarn, dark colors and anything fluffy.
| # | Product | Best for | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photoClover Amour Crochet Hook SetA soft grip and a different handle color per size - both do real work with a child. | A child who is going to keep going | Set | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 2 | No photoSusan Bates Silvalume Aluminum Crochet HooksBuy one 5mm or 6mm and see what happens. It costs almost nothing. | A first single hook, bought cheaply | Single hook | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 3 | No photoBoye Aluminum Crochet Hook SetA tapered throat grabs the loop more positively, which is the fix for splitting. | A child who keeps splitting the yarn | Set | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 4 | No photoRed Heart Super SaverSmooth, firm, light-colored and cheap enough to unravel a hundred times. | Seeing the stitches | Yarn | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 5 | No photoClover Amour Steel Crochet Hook SetSub-2mm steel hooks and crochet thread are the hardest possible place to start. | Adult thread crochet, where it is the right tool | Set | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set
Clover · Best for a child who is going to keep going
Ten aluminum hooks with a molded elastomer grip, covering 2.25mm to 6.0mm - the whole span most patterns for worsted and DK yarn ever ask for.
- Sizes
- 10 hooks: B/2.25mm to J/6.0mm
- Grip
- Elastomer rubber, latex free
- Shaft
- Aluminum
- Head
- Rounded, between inline and tapered
- Color coding
- Handle color differs per size
Who it suits
Ages roughly 8 and up, and any adult teaching more than one child.
Why it is here
Ten aluminum hooks from B/2.25mm to J/6.0mm with a molded elastomer rubber grip, latex free, and a rounded head between in-line and tapered. The grip means a child who has not yet learned to hold a tool lightly can still hold it securely, and the per-size colors let you say 'the green one' instead of explaining hook sizing.
What you give up
Ten hooks is nine more than a child needs on day one, and it is an adult-priced purchase for something that might be a two-week interest. The set also stops at 6.0mm, which is below the chunky sizes that suit the youngest beginners.
Specifications from Clover USA product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Susan Bates Silvalume Aluminum Crochet Hooks
Susan Bates · Best for a first single hook, bought cheaply
The bare aluminum inline hook that a large share of American crocheters learned on, and still the cheapest way to find out which head shape suits you.
- Head
- In-line (head sits flush with the shaft)
- Material
- Anodized aluminum, heat treated and polished
- Size range
- B-1/2.25mm through N-15/10mm
- Length
- 5.5in for B through K; longer for L, M, N
- Color coding
- One color per size
Who it suits
Anyone testing the water, and anyone equipping a club or a classroom.
Why it is here
Anodized aluminum, heat treated and polished, with an in-line head - the head sits flush with the shaft, which makes it easier to push into the tight stitches a beginner's grip produces. The range runs B-1/2.25mm to N-15/10mm, so the larger sizes that suit children are available.
What you give up
A bare aluminum shaft is thin and slick, which is harder for small hands to hold for long. It is cheap enough that this is a reasonable trade for a first hook and not for a tenth one.
Specifications from Susan Bates Silvalume retail specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Boye Aluminum Crochet Hook Set
Boye · Best for a child who keeps splitting the yarn
The tapered-throat counterpart to Susan Bates: a narrower throat than shaft, which grabs the loop more aggressively and splits plies less often.
- Head
- Tapered throat with a rounded head
- Material
- Anodized aluminum
- Set contents
- 8 hooks: D/3.125mm, E/3.5, F/3.75, G/4.25, H/5, I/5.5, J/5.75, K/6.5mm
- Length
- 6in, size marked on the thumb rest
Who it suits
Any beginner whose hook keeps going through the middle of the yarn rather than around it.
Why it is here
Eight anodized aluminum hooks - D/3.125mm, E/3.5, F/3.75, G/4.25, H/5, I/5.5, J/5.75 and K/6.5mm - with a tapered throat and a rounded head, 6in long with the size on the thumb rest. The taper means the head narrows before the shaft, so it catches the whole strand rather than diving into it.
What you give up
A tapered head is slightly harder to push into a very tight stitch than an in-line one, which is the opposite of a beginner's other problem. No grip on the shaft either.
Specifications from Boye aluminum hook set specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Red Heart Super Saver
Red Heart · Best for seeing the stitches
The 7oz workhorse acrylic. Coarser than the softer acrylics here, and the cheapest yardage on the shelf by a distance.
- Fiber
- 100% acrylic
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 7oz / 198g, 364yd / 333m (no-dye-lot solids)
- Gauge
- 17 sts x 23 rows on 5mm (US 8)
- Hook
- 5.5mm (US I/9), 12 sc x 15 rows
- Care
- Machine wash warm gentle, tumble dry low, no bleach
Who it suits
Every child learning, and most adults too.
Why it is here
100% acrylic, worsted, 364yd per 198g skein with no dye lot on the solids, machine wash warm and tumble dry low. A firm, smooth, plied yarn does not split and does not fluff, and a light solid color makes the individual stitches visible - which is most of what a beginner is struggling with.
What you give up
It is squeaky and firm out of the ball, which adults notice and children generally do not. It softens after a wash.
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Clover Amour Steel Crochet Hook Set
Clover · Best for adult thread crochet, where it is the right tool
The same elastomer handle fitted to steel thread hooks, sized for crochet cotton rather than yarn.
- Sizes
- Steel hooks, sub-2mm range (No. 10 is 0.75mm)
- Grip
- Elastomer rubber, latex free
- Shaft
- Steel
- Intended yarn
- Crochet thread, not worsted or DK yarn
Who it suits
Not children. For an adult making doilies and edgings it is exactly right.
Why it is here
The same comfortable elastomer grip fitted to steel thread hooks in the sub-2mm range - No. 10 is 0.75mm - intended for crochet thread rather than yarn.
What you give up
Tiny hooks and fine thread demand fine motor control a child has not developed, the stitches are almost invisible, and progress is imperceptible. The grip makes it look child-friendly, and it is the opposite. [Best steel crochet hooks](/crochet-hooks/best-steel-crochet-hooks) is where these belong.
Specifications from Clover USA product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Size: bigger than the pattern says
The instinct is to give a child a small hook because they have small hands. It is exactly backwards. Hook size governs stitch size, and stitch size governs whether a beginner can see what they just made.
| Age | Hook | Yarn | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-7 | 6.5mm to 8mm | Bulky | Big, visible stitches; short attention span |
| 8-10 | 5mm to 6.5mm | Worsted | The general beginner sweet spot |
| 11-13 | 5mm | Worsted | Fine enough for real projects |
| 14+ | Adult sizing | Anything | No longer a separate question |
Notice that the yarn moves with the hook. A big hook and thin yarn makes a loose, holey fabric that falls apart in a child's hands - the pair has to match. Weight bands are on the yarn weight chart.
Head shape, for a beginner's grip
Beginners of any age crochet tightly, and children more so - the grip is new and the instinct is to hold on hard.
- In-line heads sit flush with the shaft, so there is no wider shoulder to force through a tight stitch. Easier for a tight crocheter.
- Tapered heads narrow before the shaft and catch the working loop more positively. Better against splitting.
- Rounded heads sit between the two, which is why they are the common compromise.
If the child's problem is 'I can't get the hook in', that is a tight-tension problem and an in-line head helps. If it is 'the hook keeps going through the yarn', that is splitting and a tapered head helps. Inline vs tapered crochet hooks has the full picture.
Grip and hold
Children usually grip a hook in a fist rather than in either of the adult holds, and that is fine at the start. A thicker handle makes the fist grip work better and reduces how hard they have to squeeze.
Do not correct the hold early. Correcting grip while a child is still working out the stitch is two things to learn at once, and the hold tends to sort itself out as the hands get more confident. How to hold a crochet hook is worth reading yourself first.
What to keep away from a beginner
- Steel thread hooks. Too small, too sharp, and the stitches are invisible.
- Fingering and sock yarn. Same problem from the other direction.
- Dark yarn. You cannot see a stitch you cannot see.
- Variegated yarn. The color change hides the stitch structure.
- Chenille and eyelash. The pile hides everything, and chenille worms.
- Wooden hooks in small sizes. They snap, and a child's grip is not gentle.
Scale the project to the attention span
- A chain. Genuinely satisfying for a five-year-old, and it is the first skill anyway.
- A finger-crocheted cord or bracelet. No hook at all, and it teaches the motion.
- A small square. Ten stitches, ten rows. Finishable in a sitting.
- A dishcloth or a coaster. The first real object.
- Not a blanket. Not ever, as a first project, at any age.
Kits can help here because they scope the project for you - best yarn craft kits for kids covers which ones, and note that some popular beginner kits are rated 12 and up rather than for younger children.
Left-handed children
Roughly one child in ten is left-handed, and crochet is entirely mirrorable - a left-handed crocheter works the same stitches in the opposite direction. The hook is the same hook.
What changes is the teaching: sitting opposite a left-handed child gives them a mirror of your hands, which is usually easier than sitting alongside. Best crochet hooks for left-handed crocheters covers the rest.
What we would buy
- Testing the water: one 5mm or 6mm aluminum hook.
- If they stick with it: a set with a soft grip and per-size colors.
- If they keep splitting the yarn: a tapered-throat set.
- The yarn: light, smooth, firm worsted.
- Not for a child: steel thread hooks.
Questions people actually ask
What size crochet hook should a child use?
5mm to 6.5mm with worsted weight yarn for most children aged 8 and up, and 6.5mm to 8mm with bulky yarn for younger ones. Bigger hooks make bigger, more visible stitches, which is what makes crochet learnable.
What age can a child start crocheting?
Around five for a chain or a finger-crocheted cord, and around seven or eight for real stitches with a hook. It depends far more on fine motor development and patience than on the exact age.
What yarn is best for a child learning to crochet?
Smooth, firmly plied worsted acrylic in a light solid color. Dark, variegated, fuzzy and chenille yarns all hide the stitch structure, and seeing where the last stitch went is most of what a beginner is struggling with.
Are ergonomic crochet hooks good for kids?
Yes - a thicker handle suits the fist grip children naturally use and reduces how hard they squeeze. Color-coded handles help too, because you can say 'the green one' instead of explaining hook sizing.
What should a child's first crochet project be?
A chain, then a small square of about ten stitches by ten rows, then a coaster or dishcloth. Not a blanket - a project that cannot be finished in a few sittings is how a new crocheter of any age gives up.
Sources
- Clover USA - Amour Crochet Hook Set specification
- Susan Bates Silvalume aluminum hook specification
- Boye aluminum crochet hook set specification
- Yarnspirations - Red Heart Super Saver specification
- Clover USA - Amour Steel Crochet Hooks specification
- The Woobles product page
- Craft Yarn Council - Standard Yarn Weight System