Since the launch of Tops Forest School in 2014, staff have been encouraged to introduce real tools into the setting for children to explore. Tops Day Nurseries have invested in full T4Kids™ sets for the children, which includes clamp boards®, child-sized real tools, hand drills, sanding blocks, safety clothing® and more. Children will have access to these resources during their time at nursery
For years children have taken things apart to learn how they work. Tinkering for many children fuels their natural curiosity about life.
Tinkering during play can teach children valuable lessons by helping develop fine motor skills, problem solving abilities, and peer relationships.
Fine motor development involves the coordination of small muscles in fingers and hands. Strong fine motors skills are necessary for writing, cutting, using utensils, and tying shoe laces. Without these acquired fine motor skills, children may find difficulty in performing simple tasks.
T4Kids™ have researched and “tried and tested” all sizes and shapes of tools to find ones just right for Early Years hands. Important safety messages for these woodworking activities can be re-enforced with bright work-wear® and safety glasses, which all help to set safe boundaries around this supervised activity. The unique T4Kids™ Clamp Board® makes woodworking a table-top activity for the first time.
The sets are complete with ‘How to’ user guides with all the tools, which include safety tips, conversation starters and key activity words, to help staff talk about the products and activities. To help settings introduce the activities safely, each set comes with a Safety Matters document, giving common sense suggestions on how to manage the activities.
