How to introduce girls to woodworking

Not many hobbies make you feel accomplished like building something does, and when it comes to woodworking, the pride derived from sitting back and admiring your artwork is unrivaled!

Woodworking is fun and constructive, but it can also be a bit technical. Allowing girls to take an active part in selecting and designing their project will ensure that they stay engaged and excited about it.

Why woodworking is good for girls

Woodworking art helps girls develop better hand-eye coordination. Simple projects teach girls how to take precautions and more complicated projects teach girls the importance of precision.

When girls work with wood they learn to express themselves, and because woodworking is an art form that requires adult supervision, it’s a perfect opportunity to bond with her.

In addition to helping with expression and some parent-daughter time, constructing real life items like clocks will help her understand the designs behind these everyday objects.

Over time you may notice she’ll begin to observe more, wanting to understand the designs of more complicated things like cars so she can recreate them herself! This can help improve her cognitive ability.

What is woodworking?

Woodworking simply means crafting useful and artistic objects by cutting and shaping wood! There are a variety of techniques to employ and different kinds of wood can be used, although soft and cheap wood are the best options for projects involving beginners.

How to introduction girls to woodworking

Wood is a material that needs no formal introduction, it’s everywhere around us. But even if she knows what it is, she may not know where it comes from!

Tell her about woodworking and explain to your daughter how trees are cut down to create things like furniture and pieces of art. Point out some items made from wood around your house and suggest how wonderful it would be to create her own!

Take a woodworking class with her to learn the basic know-how of the craft too! Watching some YouTube videos should suffice.

What you need

As a newbie to woodworking, it’s important to have adult supervision and kids safety goggles for all projects. It’s not a bad idea to keep a first aid kit handy too, in the events of a mishap.

To get started on the woodworking basics, find a building kit or pick up some everyday equipment like a pencil and a ruler for measuring and marking spots, wood glue, a hammer, nails and wood scraps. It’s best to let the adult do any cutting or work with anything sharp.

Some paint can also be useful to beautify her artwork. Setup a working space, preferably a table high or low enough for them to use while standing.

If you have some change to spare, get sandpaper for smoothing out surfaces and a clamp for easy attachments.

Easy first time projects

Freeform Building
We love giving girls precut pieces of wood, some basic instruction for hammering in nails and the freedom to make anything she wants. It’s empowering for girls to construct their own vision out of wood and it’s fun to see what they come up with.

Wooden Boats

This project is very simple and great for younger girls. Drill in the holes on the boat’s body yourself but ask her to fit in the twigs and cloth. If she’s a seasoned seamstress, let her do the straight stitch on the boat’s mainsail on her own too!

Ruler Basket

This wooden ruler basket is the perfect step up from the more basic projects, plus, it’s practical too!

Homemade Pinball Machine
We adore this pinball machine because it’s a lot more complex than the others. It’s best if you make the first few holes to show her how to do the rest, then assemble your woodwork side by side with your daughter.