Seeing my neighbor's kid nail a birdhouse made me think about our teaching methods.

My neighbor showed me his son's first wood project last week. It was neat, but it made me wonder if we let kids use tools too soon. When do you think it's safe to start teaching them?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_evan2mo ago

Yeah, my nephew started with a super dull hand saw and soft pine when he was maybe eight. I held the wood steady for him while he made the cuts for a simple shelf. The key was giving him one job at a time, not the whole tool set lol. He got the feel of it without real risk, and now he's way more careful than some adults I know.

the_simon2mo ago

How long before he moved to sharper tools?

ruby_henderson362mo ago

I read that introducing sharper tools should wait until basic safety is second nature. In my experience, that timeline varies a lot.

robin5912mo ago

Exactly, and @the_simon gets how it's not about age.