October 2025 Blog: Risky Play with Tools and Machines
You might be surprised to find a young child playing with a power tool. However, this month, that’s exactly what you’ll find in Tech Play Lab! KCM’s Tech Play Lab program highlights a different technology every month, from coding to filmmaking to machines. Technology is all around us – your tools, machines, the electricity in your house, and even your blender are all technology. And while adults use tools like this every day, we often don’t think to include children in these activities, but children are very capable of using tools with adult guidance. Plus, using adult tools with children can increase self-confidence and benefit their development!
Allowing children to play and explore with real tools and machines is a category of “risky play.” Risky play is any type of play that is exciting, thrilling, or involves some risk of injury. This can include playing with heights, speed, natural elements, or getting lost; playing rough; or playing with tools grown-ups use. Engaging with controlled risks builds self-confidence and independence in children, as they proactively learn their own abilities through cause and effect and problem-solving. These types of play risks help children to develop their own sense of their limits and comfort levels, and help develop their coordination and muscle strength. And, although “risky play” may sound dangerous, these factors actually reduce the risk of injury as children play.
How do we start to involve children in play with tools?
Consider the activities that you already do that use specific tools. This could be a specific hobby, a sport, or even a household chore like ironing, vacuuming, or assembling furniture.
Adapt and adjust the activity to fit the child. Risky play relies on control over the scenario. Appropriate, controlled risks can be recognized and evaluated by children based on their personal preference and experience. Each child will have different limits on what they can appropriately perform independently. Some ways the Museum adapts our power tools activity for children are:
- Ensuring children always have adult supervision when using tools.
- Using wood clamps when using drills or screwdrivers, so that the wood will not spin or slip.
- Using only low-powered tools that are small enough for children to hold.
Teach safety practices, and make sure the child is aware of risks. Risky play never means ignoring safety standards and procedures. Children should always use appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) and should know and demonstrate safe usage of tools. Encourage children to use appropriate safety measures even when using “kid-friendly” versions of tools. When using a plastic knife to cut, children should still learn to hold the handle of the knife and curl the fingers of their other hand into a “bear claw.”
Allow the child to experiment with the tools! Start by focusing on the experience of using the tools, rather than the final product. Even very young children can gain beneficial sensory experiences, develop motor skills, and understand cause and effect from touching and exploring tools under adult guidance. For example:
- Pressing the sewing machine pedal hard makes the needle move fast. Pressing softly makes the needle move slowly.
- Wet clay moves under our fingers on the pottery wheel and makes different shapes.
- The blender makes a loud sound when we press the button, and sometimes, our ingredients change color.
- A small light turns on, and the tool spins when we press the trigger of an electric screwdriver.
Want to try it out? Join us Tuesday-Friday for Tech Play Lab! The Tools activity runs now until October 31
See you at the Museum!
-Anna Bundy, Education Specialist II