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These are exciting times. In recent years there has been a surge of interest in woodworking in early years education. This can be clearly evidenced by the increasing sales figures from educational suppliers of workbenches and tools and increasing numbers of training sessions delivered. In some cases, this will be settings starting from scratch, in others, it’s a case of nurseries dusting down their workbench and digging out the tools after many years of neglect. The rise is not surprising since woodwork can provide a profound learning experience for children.
Woodwork has a long tradition within early years education. It has its origins in the pedagogy of Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), while in the UK it was embraced by pioneering nursery schools in the late 19th century – there was even a monthly magazine, Hand and Eye(1882-1902), dedicated to promoting woodworking and other craft-work in kindergartens.
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