July 17, 2023 Diversitech Manufacturing

Why Children Should Learn to Use Hand & Power Tools

Four Reasons Why Children Should Learn to Use Tools

Children today face a future of unpredictability and complexity. Many of the jobs today may not exist in the future, and no one knows for sure what jobs will look like when today’s children are adults.

Children need to learn as many useful skills as possible when they are young so they stand a better chance of success in the future. Parents are aware of this, and as a result, there is no shortage of extra-curricular activities available to kids around the world.

But what about those skills kids can learn at home? We believe all kids can learn a variety of life skills at home without paying for specific classes.

This is why we believe it is very important for kids to learn how to use tools. From hammers to pliers, wrenches to power tools, children who learn how to fend for themselves in the world of home repairs are a step above their peers in terms of independence and versatility.

So now, let us explain our four favourite reasons why children should learn to use tools. And for more information about what types of specific tools kids should learn to use, check out our article about the 12 Tools Every Kid Should Learn to Use.

1 - Develop Manual Dexterity

Tools teach children to use their hands and develop their manual dexterity. Hand-eye coordination improves with the use of hand tools, so not only do kids learn practical lifelong skills they also develop coordination that will serve them well in any activity they try.

Tool use, and hand tools especially, give children an opportunity to develop their fine motor skills, such as using a screwdriver to turn a screw or using pliers to remove a staple from a piece of wood. Other hand tools, like a hammer, help more with the development of their gross motor skills.

Using tools helps a child develop precise movements and skills similar to what they would get from learning to play an instrument. And if you, their parent, also has an understanding of tool use, your child will be very motivated to develop these skills with their own toolset so that they can be just like you.

2 - Learn About Safety

Everyone needs to learn basic safety skills. If you do not teach your children about being safe around their home and on the job, you leave their safety education as young adults up to their future employers which is a gamble at best.

Learning about safety requires two things: exposure to dangerous activities in a controlled environment, and education on safety hazards and how to avoid them. An appropriate set of kids tools, like the Hi-Spec’s Kids Tool Sets, give kids the opportunity to learn on real tools without being overexposed to danger.

This is why it is important to show your kids how to use real tools as soon as possible instead of just giving them overly-fake plastic replicas. Fake tools are tempting to use as toys and do not teach children to respect and be cautious of tools.

Realistic tools like the Hi-Spec kids sets mentioned above are real tools that kids can use to do real-life projects around the home but are scaled-down and safe enough to not pose serious hazards to their safety. Sure, they may hit their finger with the small hammer, but it will not be hard enough to cause real damage but hurt enough to teach them to respect the tool.

3 - Acquire Life Skills

Life skills in this context are all those skills that help people function in the world outside of what they need to know to do their job.

For example, if you know the difference between financing and leasing a car, you have a life skill in finance.

Learning to use tools gives kids a whole set of life skills that many adults lack: skills about how to navigate the world of maintenance and repairs on homes and cars. Even if your kids never actually use tools as adults, if they learn to use them as kids they will be better able to understand the details of a repair quote. This will make them smarter consumers.

4 - Increased Independence in Adulthood

Many adults today lack basic life skills for which previous generations would laugh at them. Nowadays, many car owners take their car to a mechanic for simple repairs like replacing a light bulb when they could do it themselves with nothing more than a Philips screwdriver.

Of course, it is impossible for anyone to know how to do all the possible repairs on their vehicles and homes without formal education in those trades. However, a basic understanding of tool use and developing the confidence to attempt basic repairs themselves gives future adults a higher level of independence than their peers who are completely at the mercy of service providers.

When kids learn how to use tools to solve their own problems, they learn that they are more in control of their lives and money. One day, they will thank you for these skills.

Wrap-Up

All people of any age benefit from learning to use the common tools that accomplish the repairs our world so frequently sees. If people can learn these skills as children, their adult lives will be much easier.

As adults, we are often too busy to devote the time needed to develop skills outside of our full-time jobs. As parents, our time is taxed even further with the demands of child rearing.

Teaching our children valuable life skills like tool use helps them learn skills today that they will have for life. This is better than them growing up and getting frustrated over a lack of abilities they may feel they should have learned when they were still at home.

So we suggest you take the time to get your kid involved in tool use. At the very least, you will be making some great memories for everyone involved.

Check out our top list of 10 Best Metal Hand Tool Kits For Kids Under Age 9