Some families watch television, others like to play sports. But
you are a woodsman and your child loves to copy you! So how can
you safely include your children in your woodworking activities?
It’s simple. Before letting your child touch any of your
woodworking tools, you must have a safety talk with them. Let
them know which tools they are able to touch, such as the
hammer, nails and other non sharp and non electrical items. You
don’t ever want your young child to operate a saw or a drill.
They may think they don’t need you around to use it, so just
avoid giving them that habit all together.
After you have a safety talk with your child about your
woodwork shop and its tools, you can begin to show them how each
of the tools work. Many like to begin with simple tasks such as
sanding wood or holding the drill. But before you begin, you and
your child need to decide on what project you will want to work
on together. There are many things you could make that will
actually come in handy or that will be fun for your child after
creating it. Such as a wooden horse that rocks, a doll house,
tree house or a car.
Once you choose the project, you can then show your child which
tools will be necessary for the job and why. Have them hand you
each tool – make sure to call each one by its correct name – so
that they can learn while watching. After they thoroughly
understand how you are using each of the woodworking tools, you
can allow them to help out a little more by letting them make
some decisions and do some of the work. Depending on their age,
you may not want to give them access to a saw or drill. An
appropriate age would be ten, when they are less clumsy and can
grasp the aspects of the danger that the tools can cause.
Another option for your younger children is to buy them a
child-sized tool kit. This will give them courage and confidence
in helping you. Having their very own toolbox is very
encouraging for them. You can also let them put the pieces
together or fill in the holes that you drill, for instance if
you are making a wooden rack to hang keys or coats, you can
drill the hole, while your child places the hooks into them.
After finishing the creation of your project, the real fun
begins. Bring out the painting tools and enjoy in a family time
of fun and creativity. This should be placed in the hands of the
child, since most love to decorate with colors. If this is their
first time painting, you should show them how to neatly brush
the paint onto the wood in straight lines in the same direction.
But allow them to choose the colors and where they go.
When your project is fully complete, congratulate them! Make
them feel like it was their work that made the wood what it is
now. This will open up a door for them to want to create new
things. You never know, they may come up with an award winning
invention!
More woodworking articles here
by: Router Table Depot
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