Family Fix-It Time

Parents have DIY projects. Kids love tools. Everybody wins.

ADDED May 15, 2009

Today's post was inspired by Laurie March, a Los Angeles interior design expert (and friend to Today is Fun).  You can check her blog out here.  Laurie helps families improve their living spaces -- she is enormously talented, and I've caught her paying attention not just to her adult clients, but to their kids as well.  Laurie recently noticed how children are fascinated by tools and home improvement projects.  Together, we came up with some entertaining ways to help kids join in on home improvement fun...

The right tool for the job.  When you've got a home improvement project going, you can talk to your kids about how each job requires the "right tool."  For instance, if you need to hang a picture, then you need to first put a nail into the wall.  Really, only one tool in the toolbox will work for this chore.  It's not the hacksaw, it's not the screwdriver, it's not the tape measure.  It's the hammer!

But if you need to open the battery compartment on a toy robot, the hammer is definitely not the tool to use!  There's one right tool for that job, too.

Sometimes, more than one tool will work (for instance, one could sometimes use a drill or a screwdriver), but you still have to choose the right one.

It's a good lesson for life:  Kids obviously need to make a decision as to the right tool to use for the job.

When you're doing a home improvement project, let your little ones look through the toolbox with you.  You guys can discuss each tool and what it is used for.  And if your kids are older, you can ask them "right tool" questions, such as:

A sprinkler head in the front yard is loose.  What tool would we use to tighten it?
What tools do we need to hang a picture in the living room?

Finally, learning the difference between flathead and Phillips screws (and screwdrivers) seems to be very interesting for children!

Kids playing with tools.  If kids have toy tools (ours do), then they can bring their tools along as Mom or Dad makes minor repairs in the house.  Kids and parents can compare kid tools with grown-up tools.  How are they different?  How are they the same?

Also, of course, kids can play with tools and pretend to fix things.  These "things" in question could be a cardboard box, a chair, or any sturdy household item.  Parents could choose to talk about real steps with kids, such as, "Okay, you've got your tools and you're going to hang a picture.  What's the first thing you need to do?  What's the first tool you need to use?"

Finally, kids can sometimes, occasionally handle real, grown-up tools.  My boys love to play with our family's level -- watching the bubbles move in the little, see-through tubes.  My five-year-old can pretty much use a level, too, much to his delight.

Drawing and talking about tools.  Drawing a collection of tools could be fun for kids.  How many different kinds of tools can they figure out to draw on a piece of paper?

Kids and adults could also cut the tools out once the drawing's done, and have a miniature paper tool collection.

A drawing like this (or a picture book that displays a variety of tools) could be a great starting place for a conversation.  Which tools are sharp?  Which tools do you need to plug in?  Which tools are heavy?  And so forth.

ages 3-12, good at home,

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