Basic situation: our neighbor kid, age 19 doesn’t know how to use any tools, and says “I’m just not mechanically adept”. I want to give a few basic lessons.
So my question. What might y’all suggest is a good starting point? For those of you who either have kids, or have taught younger folks, what did you have them do? My goal here is only to build a bit of confidence, and help highlight a few things that every person is better knowing.
Any ideas welcome.
It’s really difficult, maybe bordering on impossible, to invent a project that would have this sort of effect on a person, but it’s almost always possible to find one!
Almost everybody lives in a house and almost every house has some annoying thing that’s been broken for too long. A wonky dimmer switch, laundryroom door that won’t latch, whatever!
Maybe see if your friend can look around the house and find a problem to solve, and that will imply whatever variety or tools or techniques. Solving a real problem and then enjoying (however mildly) the solution to that problem is the best motivation there is I think!
I learned to use tools as a 4 YO kid making toys “for Santa”. But today, what is practical is a kit or a project. Model airplanes? Kit. Robots? Kit. But working with tools? At the end of the day it’s fine motor control: wrenches, screw drivers, saws, a hammer… Endless.
Finding a project or an outcome that offer the ability to say at the end of the day “Hey look at what I did!” There are always steps but say consider something like a skateboard kit. Roarkit Thin Air Press
has a great website kind of geared to young people and their interests and skateboarding. See if their website might be able to find a path to discover what might be interesting to your friend.
No point in building a guitar if there’s no interest in music. But shaping and sanding a skateboard might introduce your friend to working with their body, using a saber saw, a sander, a drill, assembling something.
Get appropriate safety gear before going on the road
Agree with David.
Choose a project that they are excited about and as you use tools, you’ll have the opportunity to teach them about how to use them.
Project is the focus. Tool use is the collateral!