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TWG Kids mentor resource

Teaching Woodworking: Demonstrate, Observe, Coach

Turn shop vocabulary into a sequence a learner can see: notice the material, name the job, try a released step, and inspect the result.

Back to mentor guide

Before the session

  • Choose one observable skill—measure, mark, hold, smooth, dry-fit, or inspect—instead of trying to cover an entire project.
  • Prepare a safe sample and a completed reference so the learner can compare before and after.
  • Use plain language first, then introduce the technical word next to the real part or action.

During the session

  • Ask what changed, what stayed aligned, and what the learner would check next.
  • Give a correction to the work or setup, never a vague judgment about the learner.
  • Let the adult handle tool setup, speed, structural correction, and any step the plan marks adult-controlled.

Finish well

Leave the space safer and easier to restart: return materials, label any unfinished work, note the learner's actual role, and decide the next adult-controlled check before the session ends.