Tinkering
(Pre-school and reception)
Tinkering is about hands-on experiences. It helps your child to learn from failures and allows time to explore and invent.
You will need:
Old items such as a radio, keyboard or bike.
A selection of tools such as:
- screwdriver
- drill
- tweezers
- hammer
- spanner
- allen keys
- pliers
Small handled tools are best for small hands to manipulate.
What to do
- Have a look in your garage or cupboards for old electrical items. You may find an old radio, keyboard or computer part. Items that you don't mind going in the recycling after your tinkering session.
- Find a collection of tools that will support taking apart the item. (Small handled tools are easiest for small hands to use.)
- Work alongside your child taking the old item apart. Talk to your child about health and safety. (You don't want them taking apart a new item in the home without your permission and supervision).
- See if you can make a collection of recycled containers for storing the small parts. For example egg boxes, a chocolate box tray, ice cube tray, small jars or boxes. After your child has taken apart the objects and investigated them, ask them to sort the parts into the pots. Save them for repurposing and reusing.
- The parts can be rebuilt and redesigned. You could make an artistic metal robot or a collage picture.
Skills your child will learn
Allowing your child to explore with a range of tools is great for developing fine motor skills and practising their hand eye-coordination.
Your child is developing their curiosity into how technological objects work. You're encouraging them to build and create their own items.
Tinkering can support your child’s ability to:
- use tools
- collaborate with others
- experiment
- observe
- make discoveries
- tap into prior knowledge
- communicate
- persevere
They'll love to take things apart - a process known as deconstruction. When they take things apart, they see how the parts work together. They are gaining confidence to try to put components together in new ways.