Article Title: The Value of Tinkering

Article Summary

In this article, the author talks about the importance of tinkering and why it should be encouraged in children. The author is a science teacher in an elementary school wherein he allows and encourages students to engage in creative play and has learned from his experiences that children by nature are curious. That young children need the chance to explore, daydream, imagine, play and build without an outcome or even a product in mind—a place free from failure because failure is not even part of the equation. It helped develop Stephen Hawking’s creativity, and we should encourage it in our children. It is a stepping stone for what kids will face in higher grades and college—in maker spaces, innovation labs, fab labs, or science and engineering courses. The author says that tinkering is not just physical activity; it is also a way to develop thoughts and ideas that lead to the next step, whether that is a more detailed drawing or prototype, or even pure scientific research. He thinks that children today are busy in a structured and engaged world that does not allow for the development of the valuable skills and growth mindset that come with time to tinker and we should give them that time.