Basic Maker Skills For Kids

What skills should kids know by the time they’re ready to head out on their own? Here’s what’s on my list!

Maker Mindset/Design Thinking/Engineering Process

  • Know steps to generate and refine ideas

  • Understand prototyping, testing, evaluating, iterating

  • How to get and use group/community/user input

  • How to troubleshoot problems

  • How to share, market, and protect ideas and designs

Art and Design Skills

  • Basic drawing skills (using a ruler, a straight edge, perspective)

  • Basic art principles (how to use line, forms, color)

  • Basic materials (pencil, pen, marker, paint, molding material, carving)

  • Use 2D and 3D CAD drawing programs and animation programs

  • Create a file for cutting/3D printing

  • Basic music principles (how to control pitch, timbre, volume)

  • Create music acoustically (sing, play an instrument, build an instrument)

  • Use a music program to write/play a tune, vary sound quality (synth)

  • Basic wearable and household item design principles (how to design for utility, comfort, looks)

  • Understand basic fabric and fiber materials and construction (natural, human-made, woven, felt, knit, embroidery, quilting, etc)

How to Connect Things

(both permanently and temporarily, and how to take them apart)

  • Know how to tie basic knots

  • Use adhesives effectively (tape, glue, hot glue gun)

  • How to remove adhesives (GooGone, etc.)

  • How to use plastics (mounting putty, Sugru, resin, 3D printing guns, etc.)

  • Paper or cardboard techniques (make and flatten a box, use tabs and slots, origami, etc.)

  • Wood joining methods

  • Plastic and metal joining methods (including welding)

  • Jewelry-making techniques (wire bending, chain mail, etc.)

  • How to sew by hand and machine, and use adhesives to connect/mend fabric

How to Cut Things

(both safety and best techniques)

  • Scissors

  • Craft knife/box cutter

  • Kitchen knife skills (including how to sharpen)

  • PVC pipe cutters

  • How to score and snap glass and plastic

  • Hand and power tools (saws, drills, etc)

  • CNC cutting machines (vinyl cutters, laser cutters, etc.)

Other General Building and Craft Tools and Skills

  • Basic tools and parts – screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, hammers

  • Embossing (paper, leather, etc.)

  • Etching and engraving (glass, metal, wood, etc.)

Electronics

  • Understand basic circuits, switches

  • Understand how to use components and batteries

  • Understand how batteries and alternative energy sources work (hydro, wind, solar)

  • Understand voltage, current, and resistance

  • Basic e-textile and paper circuit techniques

  • How to strip wire

  • Connect wires/components without soldering

  • Know how to solder

  • Use a voltmeter

Computer/Internet Skills

  • Understand basic conditional logic in computer programming

  • Write and run a program in one or more text or graphical languages

  • Search for information effectively

  • Evaluate information sources for accuracy

  • Basic cyber security (including websites and Internet of Things connected devices)

  • Understand rights of content creators/re-use rules (copyright, open source, Creative Commons)

Basic Food Skills

  • Cooking and baking

  • Store, handle, and prepare food safely

  • Understand nutrition guidelines

  • Read food labels, check for allergens

  • Grow and harvest food

  • Identify edible and dangerous wild plants

  • Use basic kitchen appliances (mixers, blenders, ovens, microwaves, can openers)

Life/Survival Skills

  • Basic first aid and CPR

  • Read and navigate with a map, find compass directions from environment

  • Fix a toilet works, shut off the water

  • Shut off the electricity and reset a tripped breaker

  • Set up a tent, build an emergency shelter, collect and purify water

  • Build a fire and fire safety

  • Basic wild plant and animal safety

  • Crowd safety

  • Emergency safety (natural disaster, riots, law enforcement encounters)

  • Travel use and safety (packing for a trip, how to use public transportation, traffic rules, security rules at airports and border crossings)

  • Ride and fix a bike (including bike gear and safety)

  • Basic water safety (swim/float/paddle)

  • Basic car maintenance