The value of wooden toys in education

Education Category: Creative
Ages: 4-8, 8-12

By using a tool as simple as a pocket knife you can create a ton of different things with small pieces of wood. The easiest to make, which is something my colleague thought me, are a knife, spoon and fork. You hold the piece of wood in your one hand, and the pocket knife on the part of the wood that is farthest away from you, then you add pressure and make a movement with the knife with your four fingers towards your thumb. With a bit of practice you can make these tools, and the children can use them to play. The purpose of these toys is to make children between the age of 2 and 10 realize how  they can use cutlery to eat. In addition, as teacher you can try to realize a small washing basin, or just a tub, and then tell the children that they have to wash their hands when they want to ‘play’ or ‘eat’ with the toys. Tell them that this is an important process before eating. Consequently, the children will hopefully do the same thing back home when they eat, that is, if they eat with cutlery back home. This can prevent children to get sick, and when they learn to wash hands at a young age, they will use this throughout their whole life.

(Image; wooden fork and spoon bought in Africa)