With a parent, walk through your house and look at how it is built. Find a doorframe and examine how the pieces of wood fit together at the corners. Look at the baseboards along the floor and the trim around windows. Ask a parent to help you identify parts of the house that were built by a carpenter, such as the walls, stairs, cabinets, and closet shelves. Then go outside and look at the overall structure. Try to spot the roof framing, the siding, and the deck or porch if your home has one. Afterward, draw a picture of your house and label as many parts as you can that a carpenter helped build.

Build a simple birdhouse or toolbox with a parent using basic materials from a hardware store. You will need a few pieces of pre-cut pine boards (most hardware stores sell small project boards for a few dollars), wood glue, a handful of finish nails, sandpaper, and a hammer. With a parent’s help, measure and mark cut lines using a ruler and pencil, then sand the edges smooth. Assemble the pieces using glue and nails, following a simple plan you find online or sketch together. This project teaches measuring, cutting, and joining, the same fundamental skills every carpenter uses on every job.

Check if your local hardware store (such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, or even Michael’s) offers free kids’ workshops where children build small wooden projects like birdhouses, toolboxes, or race cars.