The Best Activities & Toys for Kids Who Love to Tinker

Do you have (or know) any kids who love to tinker? Try these ideas from myself and dozens of mom geniuses (who are smarter than I am!) to appropriately channel a constant need to fiddle.

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I recently issued a plea for help on my social media accounts. I thought by crowdsourcing all the parents and teachers I know, I could get some useful advice.

And boy, did I! Wow – people sure came through for me.

Here was the issue I needed help with:

My middle child (who is 5 at the time of this writing) is CONSTANTLY getting into and fiddling with things. He’ll pick up anything and absolutely everything to figure out what it is, what it does, and how fun it could be to play with.

Part of it comes from an EXTREMELY curious nature, part of it comes from a crazy amount of energy, and part of it comes from what appears to be a love for all things tactile. With an impulse-control struggle thrown in the mix. It’s quite a combination.

And it has been driving me absolutely bonkers.

We’re working on “If it’s not yours, leave it alone” and respecting people’s things and boundaries. But it’s a work in progress. (More on that below.)

HOWEVER, I want to do more than tell him what NOT to do with what is obviously part of his nature. I truly believe that every frustrating trait in our kids is actually a God-given strength or gift when used in the right way. That’s why I try my best not to squelch any parts of my kids’ personalities, but rather guide them toward appropriate use and expression.

With that in mind, I asked for ideas of ways to channel his super inquisitive nature/compulsion to fiddle in ways that are safe, allowable, and even productive, if possible. I was looking for things that wouldn’t just occupy his hands (because it’s more than just a fidgeting issue), but would also occupy his mind.

And I received LOADS of great ideas. It was all so helpful, I decided to compile it all into a blog post for anyone else who, like me, has a child who loves to tinker.

Perspective is Everything

First, however, I want to say a quick word about attitude. When it comes to our kids’ *ahem* difficult tendencies, perspective is everything. How we view these personality traits will determine how we parent our kids. It will determine our strategies, it will determine how well we steward them, and it will determine our peace and joy in the process.

It will also greatly impact the relationship we have with them.

If we see their traits as frustrations, annoyances, or character flaws, we will end up trying to squelch God-given parts of them. This will only lead to frustration – for them and for us! – and is not good stewardship of the unique children God gave us to raise.

If, however, we look to find the gifts and strengths behind the behaviors, seeing them as a part of our kids designed and given by God for specific purposes in his/her future callings, then we will be better able to mold our children into the people He created them to be.

So, even in the challenges of personalities that can sometimes frustrate and confound us, let us always try to see beyond the current manifestations of those traits and envision their future potential usefulness.

Related Post: My Top 10 Favorite Parenting Books

The Best Activities & Toys For Kids Who Love to Tinker

Do you have (or know) a kid who loves to tinker? Try these ideas from myself and dozens of mom geniuses (who are smarter than I am!) to appropriately channel a constant need to fiddle.

Activities

My husband gave our son a tool bag with some old tools, a measuring tape, nuts, long bolts, washers, and a couple of blocks of wood with holes for the bolts. He’s had a BLAST threading the nuts and washers onto the bolts and getting creative with “his tools.”
He also lets him help with building/repair projects and takes him to his workshop and lets him pound nails, drill screws, and saw pieces of wood (with his guidance and supervision, of course!). They sometimes build small structures, and our son LOVES it!
Put together tubs of items they can use to build/create projects. These could be sets you buy (arts & crafts kit, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks) or random items you find outside/around the house, such as sticks, straws, rubber bands, cardboard tubes, bottle caps, spools, buttons, string, etc.
Create a “spare parts” box for them to be creative with
Make STEM bins out of pencil boxes or small plastic tubs
Find an old small appliance or gadget they can take apart and try to put back together
Look into kids workshop classes at home improvement stores like Home Depot & Lowes
Paracord braiding
Rubber band bracelet-making
Puzzles
Knitting, crocheting, string art… basically anything with string!
Finger knitting – This is ideal for younger kids who might still struggle with knitting needles and crochet hooks

Toys & Playthings (i.e. Great Gifts for Kids Who Love to Tinker!)

Building toys
Play-Doh
LEGO kits
Snap Circuits (this was mentioned by at least a dozen people!)
Kiwi Crates
Little Passports (Here’s my review of Little Passports — we LOVED it!)
STEM kits
Finger puzzles
Wooden brain teasers
Easy building project kits
Annie’s Kit Clubs
K’Nex
Erector sets
Marble runs
Elmer’s Build It Cardboard Tools Craft Kit
Tap Tap Art
Beginner’s hammering set
Screwdriver board
Creative mosaic drill set
Dino eggs / Fossil kit
Geoboards
Rubik’s cubes

SHARE WITH US: Do you have more suggestions/tips to add? Share them in the comments below – I’d LOVE to hear them!

Teaching/Training Kids Who Love to Tinker

I so appreciate all the moms, dads, teachers, etc. who contributed their genius ideas. I’m thrilled to have some new ideas of ways I can channel our son’s constant need to tinker. I know that it is a God-given trait that will grow into a valuable skill one day.

That being said, the other part of raising kids who love to fiddle with things is continuing to teach and train them to know when to leave things alone. Respecting boundaries is important, as is developing impulse-control, so those are things I’m continuing to work on with my son.

Very briefly, here are a few ways I’m doing that:

Constantly prompting him to think about whether it’s something he should touch. I ask, “Is it yours? Do you have permission? If not, put it down.” I’m finding this takes a LOT of repetition, so I’m trying to be patient and consistent.
Emphasizing respect and consideration. I’m trying to teach him that it’s not just “because I said so,” or because I’m a fun-sucker – it’s because we need to have respect and consideration for other people’s property
Practicing asking permission. Whenever I see him reaching for something, even if it’s something that’s probably ok for him to touch (but isn’t his), I have him ask for permission, first.
Building the skill of empathy. Kids naturally think about themselves at that age; they need to be guided to think about other people. So, any time he grabs or messes with something that is not his (and especially if he damages it in the process), I ask, “How would you feel if someone grabbed your toy without asking? How would you feel if they broke it?” In the last year or so, that has really started to get through to him and affect his choices.

Kids who constantly need to touch, investigate, fiddle, and tinker can sometimes drive their parents crazy. It is certainly a trait that requires boundaries. But it’s also a God-given quality that, when properly directed, will turn into a valuable skill. So, it’s important that we guide it rather than squelch it. If you have any kids who love to tinker, I hope these ideas help you channel their mental/physical energy and appreciate the wonderfully creative beings they are!