Woodworking Activity for a Child
- Having the proper tools is essential for keeping any woodworker safe. For children, teaching proper safety is important, as good habits are most easily developed when one is young. Depending upon the project, you will need sandpaper of different grades, hammers, chisels, knives and items like nails or glue. Knives and chisels should only be used by older children, and it is important to keep them very sharp. It may be surprising to learn, but dull tools are more hazardous than properly sharpened ones. Using dull tools requires more force, which means that a slip of the tool can cause more damage to the user. Safety gear like goggles and gloves are also necessary for many projects.
- Preparing premade wooden toys is an activity that, while very simple, teaches a child some useful skills and is suitable for very young children. A child will also enjoy getting a new, custom toy. Purchase any wooden toy from a craft store, such as a car or an animal. Some stores also sell doll furniture that you can put together, although an adult may need to assist. The child will need to properly sand his or her toy so that it is smooth, then clean it and decorate the toy with paint. Acrylic craft paint is ideal for this project.
- Boxes are both useful and easy to make. In addition, this particular project can be adapted to match many skill levels. Design a simple box or find a pattern in a book or on the Internet. You can use a saw to cut pieces of wood yourself and show a child how it's done, have pieces cut for you, which many lumberyards and similar establishments will do or have the child cut his own pieces if he is old enough. Children of any age should have little trouble using clamps to hold the pieces in place. A young child should use glue to hold her box together, an older child should use nails with large heads and a child with woodworking experience can try small or decorative nails. Once assembled and sanded, a child can paint or decorate the box and add felt to the bottom.
- An older child may enjoy woodcarving as a craft. He can draw a design on a flat piece of wood, then use a knife or chisels to turn the pattern into a relief. With a little practice, he can move on to making sculptures out of a larger piece of wood. Always carve a little at a time, moving across the wood rather than digging deeply into it. Getting a good design requires patience. Basswood, butternut and tupelo are all very soft woods that are easy to carve, making them ideal for beginners and children alike.
