Carpentry encourages creativity and problem-solving. It can teach your tamaiti basic principles of physics and engineering. 

Tamariki | children can experience a sense of accomplishment and pride when they create something with their own hands.

Tips for doing carpentry at home#

Provide a safe space where you can observe your tamaiti.

A bench needs to be sturdy and at a good height for your tamaiti. Have a trolley or shelves nearby to store wood and equipment. The trolley needs to be on a hard surface, where dropped nails and small items can be picked up. Large magnets make this task easier.

Wood needs to be soft and untreated – pine is good. Logs or tree trunks on the ground are great for young tamariki to hammer.

Learning through carpentry#

Carpentry can help your tamaiti to:

• gain increasing control over their bodies, hand-eye coordination, manipulative skills, and muscular strength
• develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• practise safe risk-taking and being responsible with sharp and heavy objects
• develop their sense of space and measurements such as size and length
• learn to observe, plan, predict, and experiment
• express their creativity in a 3-dimensional way
• learn to share and cooperate with others.

Support your tamaiti#

You can support your tamaiti by:

• taking an interest and listening to them
• watching them closely and making sure carpentry equipment is used safely and correctly
• being ready to help them if needed, for example to hold a drill
• making sure the area is well stocked with suitable wood and nails
• showing them how to use the tools correctly and look after them
• allowing them to explore at their own pace
• helping them to put their own ideas into practice without taking over.