Teach Your Child Responsibility and Boost Confidence with this Simple Daily Task: Oiling Wood

As parents, we all want our children to become responsible and confident individuals. We try our best to instill these values in them through various means such as setting rules, assigning chores, and providing them with opportunities to learn and grow. However, sometimes it’s the simplest tasks that can have the most positive impact on our children’s development. In this blog post, we will explore how a simple daily task like oiling wood can help teach your child responsibility and boost their confidence. So, let’s dive in and find out more!

Oiling Wood

Suitable Age: 3+

Materials: 

• The tray consists of :
  • Oiling fluid
  • A small brush
  • A cloth
  • An apron
  • A sponge
  • A placemat
  • A piece of paper towel for water activities

Direct Aim:

• To oil wood independently

Indirect Aim:

• Refining of the muscles in the hand and arm
• Concentration
• Hand-eye coordination
• Independence
• Order of sequence
• Fine motor skills

Presentation/ Child instruction: 

1. Show the child where to find the materials and invite him to carry the tray to his work table. Tell the child he will need a placemat and a paper towel. Allow him to set up the table.
2. Ask the child to go back to the shelf and choose a wooden item that he wishes to oil.
3. Once the child has returned and is seated, invite her to remove the items from the tray and display them in the order of the activity. Then remove your apron and place it on, the child will know how to do this from previous activities.
4. Next, invite the child to place a few drops of oil into the small bowl. Please pick up the small brush, dip it into the oil, and then begin oiling the item (using circular motions).
5. Give the child an opportunity to continue after you have done half the item. Once the item has been oiled to the child’s satisfaction, you can make a mitt with the cloth and begin to rub the oil into the wood. Allow the child a chance to try. Once the child is happy with the shine on the item, invite him to oil more wood. If the child declines, he may discard any remaining oil from the bowl.
6. The child may dry the bowl using the cloth and then place the dirty cloth into the laundry basket (making sure to replace the towel with a clean one).
7. Invite the child to return the items back to the tray. He will return the oiled wood and tray back to the proper places on the shelf.
8. Invite the child to oil wood whenever he wishes.

Point of interest:

• The item to be oiled, the shine on the wood when oiled, doing something an adult does

Control of Error: 

• Using too much/too little oil
• Forgetting the sequence
• Spilling the oil
• Forgetting to replace the cloth
• Unable to make a mitt

>> Read more: Teach Your Child Responsibility and Boost Confidence with this Simple Daily Task: Polishing Silver, Brass, Money, and Metal