Recommended Age: 3 years and onwards
Purpose: to build the child’s fine motor control and coordination
Level of Parent Involvement: Low once the child is working with the material, mostly preparation of the activity
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- A piece of timber around 20 cm in length and around 5 cm thick
- 5-6 screws
- A small screwdriver
- A drill
- A tray to keep the timber
- A small box for the screws
Preparation
- Using the drill, make 5-6 holes at varying lengths into the piece of timber, a few centimetres apart
- Place the timber and the screwdriver on the tray and the screws in the small box
Steps
- Invite the child, letting them know that you are going to show them how to use a screwdriver
- Show the child the prepared materials on the tray, the child may bring the tray to their table
- Name the materials with the child (timber, screws, screw driver)
- Take a screw from the box and place it in one of the holes so that it is standing up
- Next take the screwdriver, noticing with the child the star shape at the end (may casually mention it is called a ‘drive’)
- Let the child know that the end of the screwdriver must go into the drive
- Show the child how to put the screwdriver into the drive
- Then let the child know that you are going to turn the screwdriver (in a clockwise back and forth twisting motion) to screw the screw into the timber
- Once the screw is flush with the piece of timber, remove the screwdriver
- Invite the child to have a turn screwing the remaining screws into the timber with the screwdriver
- Leave the child to work independently
- When they have finished come back and show they child how to remove the screws with the screwdriver by twisting the screwdriver in the opposite way as before
- The child may do the rest
- Leave the child to continue practicing
Variations
- The child may practice using a hammer and nails, hammering the nails into a piece of timber with a child’s sized hammer
