Having three kids participating in Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby races, this Scouting Magazine blog post gave me pause – ‘A parent helped build that Pinewood Derby car? Yes, that’s the point.’
This is just one example of many times kids are given projects where there is implied family collaboration.
What’s the lesson here? Is the kid supposed to do everything, including some not-safe-age-appropriate bits? Pine Wood Derby cars start as a block of wood and are cut down to car shape for as young as kindergarten kids.
Are kids supposed to be the imaginative ones with support to see their vision brought to fruition? How do their ideas translate to the project?
Projects can look very polished, well done and still have a lot of kid input.
Our family enjoys making over-the-top Valentine’s Day boxes together; always the kids’ vision with adult labor flushing out the design. And with our three kids, they take turns bringing the boxes over a few years so they really get their miles out of them.
Hopefully, a well-crafted, not-entirely-kid-only-built project showcases many things. Communication of ideas from brainstorming through the final product. Teamwork to utilize strengths and bolster weaknesses. Pride of each other and the ability to have an end result they are happy with. And the memories of the process.
Whatever the Pine Wood Derby car, Valentine’s Day box or other project is, I hope the project is shared and enjoyed by all involved.
