Offering children opportunities to practice woodwork in childcare centres provides them with the chance to practice fundamental life skills that will stand them in good stead for their entire life. Being able to fix your own house and furniture and understand how tools work is essential in living a sustainable life. Chelsea found her son Dylan’s Pendle Hill childcare (Goodstart Pendle Hill) through Space directory, ensuring it offered children woodwork and activities that would be beneficial for the children’s future.
For children, woodwork also provides more immediate benefits for their development and growth.
The simple task of hammering a nail into a piece of wood requires numerous skills for a young child including fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and enough strength and control to finish the job.
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Strength
Drilling and hammering teaches children balance and weight, and how to control objects with their hands.
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Coordination.
It also builds strength as the children need to repeatedly perform each task to achieve the result they want. Chelsea found that Dylan’s strength and coordination improved enormously from his interest in using woodwork tools.
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Problem solving
Completing a woodwork task whether it is drilling a hole, or hammering a nail requires children to consider the task before beginning. They need to find the right size piece of wood and collect the correct tools and items for the job. They then need to ensure they have a clean space to work with and that no other child is using the equipment or space they need.
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Completing a task
Letting children control their own project from start to finish gives the children valuable skills and independence from a young age. Dylan soon began planning projects he wanted to make at the woodwork table and would ask the educator for the right materials and shapes in advance.
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Achieving a goal.
Achieving goals, no matter how large or small, has been shown to be very beneficial for good mental health. Drilling a hole requires precision and persistence, until the child understands how the tools and equipment work together. Woodwork can provide young children with the satisfaction of completing concrete tasks independently, even creating something enduring that they can proudly take home to show their family. Dylan’s extended family soon had nailed and screwed together pieces of wood in all manner of shapes and sizes proudly on display.
Working with others
In a childcare setting a woodwork table provides many opportunities for children to learn co-operation, sharing and teamwork, as tools need to be shared and help given for holding wood, passing nails and working together in a small space.
As children like Dylan begin to develop their woodwork skills, they can start to make more ambitious projects. The woodwork process helps them to understand both how objects are created and how they can create their own items. Pendle Hill childcare centres, including Goodstart, are committed to teaching children the skills they need to become independent and productive learners, and to challenge them in a safe environment.
