Activities For Little Fingers
Every task, however simple, Sets the soul that does it free." FROM time immemorial man has worked with his hands, and his time and attention have been utilized in the production of things both useful and ornamental. "Necessity" very often was the "mother of invention," and the need for food, shelter, and clothing led to the gradual development of industries, from the THE child is naturally a worker.
THE child is naturally a worker. He will destroy if he does not know how to make. Destruction interests him as much as construction. He likes to see "the wheels go around," and it matters little to him if the gratifying of his desires is advantageous or not to the article in hand. Mothers, who were the earliest and should be the best teachers, long ago found that the happiest child was the busy one. They discovered also that to keep him at work he must be interested in the thing he is doing. To accomplish this they must provide that which he feels to be worth the effort. It must be something which he understands and which he can finish in a short time. A stupid, difficult "stint" such as poor Little Prudy had to finish daily is not calculated to increase a love for work. The wise and patient mother has it in her power to create an interest in the daily work of the household. Even such homely tasks as sweeping, dusting, and sewing may be taught to the children and prove pleasurable and profitable to them.
Handwork has its place in education as well as in the daily life. It should ever be a blessing, not a doom. It may give in both places rich returns, which should affect the child in the development of his thought, of his emotional life, and of his character. The results of the work are the child's, but the mother and the teacher must study how best to give the full joy of work to the children.
