Nursery World - Parent's Guide: Early learning

What does woodwork at nursery actually entail, and what are the benefits to young children of taking part? Annette Rawstrone explains

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If the thought of your pre-school child hammering nails into wood brings you out in a cold sweat, you're not alone. There are plenty of panicked posts on parenting forums about children doing woodwork in nursery.

However, across Scandinavia and in countries such as New Zealand, it has long been commonplace to introduce children to real tools, and woodworking is regarded as a valuable play activity.

Woodwork was once popular in UK nurseries too before health and safety worries took over in the 1980s and 90s. But attitudes are changing, and the Department for Education now advises, ‘Children should be able to experience a wide range of activities. Health and safety measures should help them to do this safely, not stop them. It is important that children learn to understand and manage the risks that are a normal part of life.’

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