The Toolbox by Anne and Harlow Rockwell is a basic utilitarian preschool picture book about a basic, fascinating-to-most-preschoolers subject–the tools in Father’s toolbox. The text is straightforward, telling about the toolbox itself and then its contents: hammer and nails, a saw, a drill, screws and a screwdriver, a clamp, a wrench, a plane, a ruler, and pliers. “There is sandpaper to smooth wood and plaster. There are work gloves, and there is a file to rub on rough edges of metal to make them smooth.”

Your preschooler may want to actually handle the tools themselves after reading this simply and boldly illustrated book. And that’s OK, too. With close supervision and the right tools, children can enjoy building with their hands–or just trying out the tools–as much as adults do.

A great article by Tamar Andrews on woodworking with children.
Our local Home Depot offers woodworking workshops for preschoolers and older children.
I searched a little for a source for real child-sized tools on the internet, but I didn’t find anything that looked like the sort of thing I have in mind. I know we bought some child-sized tools for one of our children somewhere many years ago, and his grandfather made him a toolbox of his own. If your child is interested in tools and building and you know where to buy tools for little hands, maybe you could leave a note for the benefit of those who are reading.

Picture Book Preschool is a preschool/kindergarten curriculum which consists of a list of picture books to read aloud for each week of the year and a character trait, a memory verse, and activities, all tied to the theme for the week. You can purchase a downloadable version (pdf file) of Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early at Biblioguides.