Whittling Sticks
Whittling can be a calming, creative, curiosity sparking, fine motor activity for people of all ages!
Safety First!
Before giving your child a whittling tool, be sure to explain the rules of whittling. Use the Wood Whittling Rules featured to the left to help explain the rules and leave the rules posted nearby so the children can use the visuals as reminders as they whittle. Be sure to model how to whittle AWAY from your body and how to properly hold the tool. Allow time for the children to ask any questions, and then go search for some sticks to whittle!
Once the children have their sticks and are appropriately spaced from one another in a seated position, they are ready to be given a whittling tool! After the first few whittling sessions, the children will be experts, but be sure to be vigilant as the supervising adult as children learn the art of whittling.
Subscribe for access to all our downloadable PDFs for free so you can download and print the Wood Whittling Rules pdf to hang in your whittling area.
So where do I get a whittling tool?
Go to a local grocery store or big-box store. Find a vegetable peeler that you would feel comfortable giving to children. Peelers can range from $1 - $10.
Why is whittling so great?
It builds strength in hands and fingers, which helps with handwriting and fine motor skills. More and more children have weak grips from lack of activities that work to build up muscles and strength in the fingers and hand.
Spark Curiosity!
As you’re whittling, you’re uncovering a whole other world beneath the surface of the wood. The children will have questions about the different colors, the different textures, and sometimes even different designs. Notice the designs on the sticks to the left, what do you think made those unique designs?
What whittling can lead to:
Some children enjoy simply carving the wood. The physical act of removing the bark is a calming activity for many children. Whittling offers children a moment of solitude. Sometimes the carved pieces of wood become a part of imaginative play as a wand, or fishing pole, or tool.
Children can explore patterns or be asked to replicate a pattern of wood carvings on a stick. Instead of peeling pieces of wood off, you can choose to leave pieces hanging as a part of the design. Get creative with you’re carving!
You can even carve sticks into writing tools for the outdoors. Be creative with the types of “ink” you use for the wooden writing tools. You can use water, colored water, smashed berries, mud, etc. No need to practice writing with paper and pencils when you can simply write anywhere outdoors with whittled sticks!
You can even use the carvings!
Save the shavings!
The shavings can be thin, thick, wide, skinny, curly, straight, bumpy, or smooth. The shavings can be anything! Children can use shavings in play as spaghetti, dog food, a fire pit, spices, nest materials, etc. Keep the shavings in a container in the outdoor play space for future use!
