Teaching kids a trade, such as working with tools in a wood or metal shop, can help provide important life skills. Using a hammer, screwdriver, wrench or hand saw can come in handy later in life, and teaching kids these skills at an early age can help boost their confidence in future projects. When letting kids use your hand tools, keep in mind important safety lessons to prevent possible accidents.
Supervision
A firm rule that should be followed with hand tools is that no kid should use or handle the tools without adult supervision. Even if you trust the child, accidents can happen. An adult helps ensure the tools are used properly, and if an accident does occur, an adult is available to help the child seek treatment.
Safety Wear
When using hand tools, your child should always wear their safety gear. This includes things such as gloves to protect the hands, safety goggles to protect the eyes, and a mask as necessary to help filter out wood or metal particles that may be inhaled while working.
Distraction
Ban distractions, such as MP3 players, cell phones, portable game players and other devices to limit distractions. Any distraction can pull your child from what he is doing and cause a potential accident.
Clean Space
Children should be taught to clean their workspace as they go when working with hand tools. Sawdust can become slippery causing falls, and misplaced tools can fall off tables or benches causing more injuries, states This Old House.
Proper Use
Teach your kids how to use each tool properly before allowing them to use the tool on their own. A child should not handle a tool they do not know how to use properly. Children should also be taught that tools are not toys, as twirling around a hammer or playing around with a hand saw can become dangerous quite quickly.
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