Develop fine and gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Grow socially and emotionally through self-confidence, responsibility, appreciation for self and others, and respect for materials and safety. Woodworking is a powerful means of building self-esteem. Children feel empowered and valued when they are entrusted to work with real tools.
They show satisfaction in mastering new skills and take great pride in their creations. This sense of power and achievement provides a visible boost to their self-esteem. Woodworking is a unique learning activity for children. For example, children can work with natural materials and use real tools to solve unexpected problems.
They can also express themselves and follow their curiosities while playing with wood. To begin teaching children how to work with wood safely, make sure you have the following tools available. By encompassing many aspects of the curriculum, the benefits of woodworking for children’s development are evident in all areas of learning. They observe children working with their hands, building models and working on projects, but in reality the real transformation is within the child – personal development is at the heart of woodworking.
Woodworking with young children provides the ideal foundation for STEAM in primary and secondary education, as it links directly to all STEAM subjects. For example, the way in which basic woodworking tools – such as hammers, pliers and sandpaper – can be sequentially introduced to children. This post includes a review of Peter Moorhouse’s book “Learning Through Woodwork”, a great publication for practitioners that highlights the importance of woodworking in the early years. Older children and those more experienced in woodworking will be watched and copied by those who are less familiar and unsure of what to do and how to do it.
Woodworking is a wonderful medium for expressive art and creative design and also has the advantage of encompassing many other areas of learning and development, providing a truly cross-curricular activity. If your child is not old enough to attend a woodworking class with you, there are a number of things you can try with them at home. As with most things, in woodworking it is impossible to say exactly what a child should be doing at any given age. In this book, he shares his expert knowledge and advice on how woodworking can be done with young children in pre-school settings.
For example, Peter recommends introducing woodworking to first year preschoolers by allowing them to play with wooden blocks and objects. Whether you are a beginner or advanced woodworker, you are sure to find the lessons and tools you need. Woodworking incorporates mathematical thinking, scientific enquiry, developing knowledge of technology, a deeper understanding of the world, as well as physical development and coordination, communication and language, and personal and social development. Woodworking is an extremely useful activity to enhance children’s development and, as you can see, with a few safety precautions, it is easy to get them started.
Anyone who has seen young children tinkering with tools in the woodwork area will know how magical it can be.