If children’s work is play then what are the “right tools” for the job?

❌Newsflash: Risky Play isn’t as simple as giving children the hammer from your old toolbox in the garage.

 In fact, doing that will probably cause more accidents and set everyone up for a negative experience. 

We used to think that ‘any’ hand tool was better than none until we saw some were too heavy, too bulky, and actually hindering the creative process for children.

It was a bit like trying to eat soup with a fork. Rather frustrating for all involved.

In this episode, we are sharing why less is more when it comes to your play kit and the top three hand tools we believe every child and educator should be using for loose parts and adventurous play. 

If you’re like us, you’ve probably walked aimlessly through the aisles of your local ‘Hammer Barn’ (thanks Bluey) wondering “Where do I even begin?!”

And that’s just it, there are so many tools for so many different jobs. 

From intricate woodwork to building structures. 

So with that in mind, we need to think about the multi-purposes of the tools needed in our play kit and how we can make this as ergonomic and safe as necessary for children.

Remembering too that you will need to carry every SINGLE piece of equipment to your wild play space. So rather than lugging around a billion tools, we’ve got our three favourite hand tools for ALL types of play for all ages.

1# Hand Drill 

Specifically, we really like the old hand crank drills because they require children to really use their arm muscles to wind the handle. It’s rather rhythmic and satisfying.

2# Handsaw (36cm long preferably)

After trialing hack saws, rip saws, folding saws, and tenon saws we can say 'hand on heart' that the old hand saws that you’ll find in an op shop are the best. They’re long, light, and require gentle push and pull to cut through all types of timber, sticks, and bamboo.

3# Hammer (roughly 300grams)

We’ve found that around this weight range to be quite good for all ages but you obviously want to make sure the grip is the right size for children's hands.

With these three tools in your play kit, children can literally build anything and you won’t need to be lugging a whole, heavy workshop on your back.

Everyone wins!

P.S.  At the end of May we are going to be walking through EXACTLY how to incorporate risky play with groups of children, during our free private training for Playworkers, Educators and Aspiring Forest School Leaders ready to learn Wild School Skills.

Apply to get an invitation to our FREE training in May