He Takes Things Apart....

Perhaps give him his own set of tools to experiment with. He might like the opportunity to play around with something. I would tell him he is not allowed to get up at night to do this because he needs his sleep. Let him take things apart and put them back together. Sounds like a very creative kid.

Get video of him doing this. It might be worth something on Funniest Home Videos. And a real laugh to watch later in life. Do what you need to keep him safe, but yes, give him tools and stuff to work with everyday.

If he is also interested in how things (like appliances) work, buy some old ones at garage sales and encourage him to take those apart.... that way, he has his OWN items he can experiment on.

Give him a healthy outlet for his curiosity... teach him how to use the tools properly, allow him certain items to take apart, and show him that he needs to put them back together, also. Get him a small building kit of some kind so he can build things..... Home Depot (I think) used to have Saturday workshops where the kids would build things like a birdhouse, etc.... teaching them how to use the tools responsibly. These workshops are held the first Saturday of the month and are free to 5-12 year olds.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Conten...

I'm totally behind the suggestions to feed his passion in a more constructive way. As would Gever Tulley, in this entertaining talk on 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do: #
# http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/gever_tulley_on_5_dange...

Hi A.,

I agree w/ Justchillin! That's super impressive for a 6 yo!! You may have a future mechanical engineer on your hands there. I agree with everyone who suggests finding some way for him to be able to do that.

One of my brothers, and my oldest son always wanted to know what made things tick. My brother used to take things apart also- drove my Dad crazy (but I think he also understood- he was a mechanical engineer, and now, so is my brother). They each have several patents.

When my son was 4, we took him to a theme park. He went on the helicopter ride. He spent the entire ride looking at where his helicopter was attached to the center, and trying to figure out what was making it go up and down. He's the only 1 of my 4 who's like that, but is like that for pretty much everything. I think he must've gotten the Engineering gene- lol

*Just a note- if your son struggles in school (it came easily to my Dad, but my brother struggled from K-12. He got by the skin of his teeth- except when he was in HS, and took classes like CAD, and other classes that were hands on. In those classes he was top of his class), he may be a tactile learner. Wish we had known back in 1979, when he was in kindergarten, because he wouldn't have needed to struggle so much- he even had to repeat 1st grade. Poor kid was brilliant, but just didn't learn well with traditional teaching methods.

My oldest son also struggles with traditional teaching methods. Luckily, we were able to get him into a wonderful college prep arts and technology charter school. He'll be starting this fall (6th grade), and I think it'll be perfect for him.

Sorry this is so long...
Very best wishes!!!!!! =o)

My first response was "awesome skills". Now, get them pointed in the right direction.

Let him have at an erector set, as Sue X and 8kidsdad suggested. And then, find some small project kits, per Malia's link.

And other stuff that's broken and he can take apart, just because. (I wish I could send him my old hairdryer!) If it's electrical, take a minute to cut off the cord, so that he can't accidentally plug it in, thinking he's 'fixed' it.

Long before I developed a passion for child care, I was a machinist. It's good to feel competent at construction. Even when I was 20, you wouldn't believe how proud I was when I manufactured my first gear or used a lathe or a mill for the first time. It was the first time in my life I felt successful with math because it was all applicable.(In high school I'd pulled D's in math and never made it past geometry, in training to be a machinist, I pulled A's and was confidently doing calculus equations.) There are so many benefits to this curious pursuit, so encourage it all you can.

i know i'm not helpful, but DAMN! that's awfully impressive! to have that innate ability to work w/his hands like that is a gift! :)
as far as where YOU should go w/it....yeah i have no idea. i'm raising a 2.5 yr old boy, what the heck do i know about 6 yr olds? lol :)

i still think that's pretty awesome though, jmo! :)

I would get him some tools and use them with him to take things apart (and more importantly put them back together). I would not stifle his curiosity but I would encourage a healthy daytime outlet for it.

Find a safe way for him to work on stuff. Get him his own little tool kit and stuff from garage sales or craigslist that he can take apart/put together. It sounds like he has a natural knack for tinkering with stuff. I wouldn't hold back that natural ability.

buy him an advanced erector set. very cool : )

My father did similar things. My cousin also did similar things. My cousin, at age 2, would take his screwdriver out to the garage and remove the license plates from the car. For months, it was just standard household practice to check the license plates before driving......because a good 20% of the time, they'd be on the floor under the car.

Since you also have a toddler in the house, your six year old may need a dedicated toddler-free workspace. This doesn't have to be large. A closet would do. Get him his own tools, teach him how to use them, teach him how to care for them, teach him how to put them away properly. Give him free access to it and let him soar.

Also make it clear that his new workshop is a privilege that will be revoked if he continues to disassemble the furniture!

Its not a boy thing. Your husband should work with him and show him the proper way to handle tools. I'd recommend getting him an erector set so he can channel his desire in the right way.

If its psychological, then put a motion dector and an alarm where it will wake you up if he goes where he shouldn't. And get him help.

Good luck to you and yours.

This is very impressive, but even geniuses need boundaries. The most advanced scientists or inventors or engineers still have to follow procedures and respect their working environments and colleagues.

I would sit down with him and let him know you love his curiosity and his abilities, but things that are attached to the house (doorknobs, doors, etc) are off limits unless it's a repair being done with someone who's responsible for the house (who pays the rent or mortgage).

I would tell him that in the middle of the night, or between the hours of 9 pm and 7 am (or whatever time suits you - and make sure he has a clock that he can refer to), he is not allowed to take furniture apart.

But, to satisfy his curiosity at those hours, get him a plastic bin or tub. Fill it with non-working computer parts, old clocks, parts and pieces, safe tools, Lego Technic and Erector sets, etc. Tell him that during the night if he needs to build/take apart/learn he can use the stuff that's in that plastic tub, quietly, in his room. Find cool stuff at thrift stores that he can safely take apart.

Perhaps you can talk to a school industrial arts teacher, or a fine carpenter or builder. Ask him or her to speak to your child about the dangers of using tools, and the importance of not using tools when you don't have someone aware of what you're using or doing. I am not a builder, but I don't think a responsible engineer or builder would take a power tool to the top of a roof without some sort of person or safety supervisor or colleague aware of the potential risks. Have your son be accountable for safety. Teach him that safety and responsibility and accountability and following procedures are just as important as creativity, intelligence and ingenuity.

Good luck!

my son did this too. i got him his own set of tools and various projects to take apart and put back together. as he got older he started taking apart electronic stuff. he's now 14 and can take apart and fix his gaming systems, grandma's handheld games, and just about anything he gets his hands on. he rocks at sodering. he fixes his bike when it breaks, modifies his scooters. you just have to set him straight about what and when he "works".

Agree with Kelsey's mom.

Buy him an erector set!! :)

That is hysterical! Look at the bright side - he's found his talent.

if he also assembles things, can you send him to me for a day? I have an IKEA desk that has been in the box for 6 months because we don't want to assemble it ;-)

My brother did this when he was little. Drove my parents crazy....he once took the VCR apart! This was when having a VCR was high class...lol. I think it's a boy thing.

I agree with the other moms that you should try to chanel his creativity and encourage it in appropriate ways. One of my husband's favorite childhood presents was a box of old broken clocks! He worked on them for hours, taking them apart and reassembling them. And most of them he got to work again! Now he can build or fix just about anything. Nurture this talent of his, but teach appropriateness (and how to reassemble!)! And I agree with Kelsey's Mom - you should definitely record some of these!

Hi A.,

I'm late to your question, but wanted to write because of a story my mom told me about her brother. Back in the 40's, he did this kind of stuff, but he was older than your son. He actually climbed into the window of a business and stole a clock so that he could see how it was put together. His dad (my granddaddy) caught him with it. It was in pieces. To my uncle's credit, he was honest about where he got it. My granddad made him take it back to the man and apologize and make amends. (No, the clock didn't work after he put it back together.)

If my granddad had lived, I'm sure he would have gotten his son some work in a shop to feed this interest, or "need", whichever it was. As it turned out, he ended up in the Navy and I guess that helped.

Your son at 6 knows that what he is doing is inappropriate. He should not be allowed out of his bedroom in the middle of the night, period. I agree 100% with the other posters to get him lots of appropriate opportunities to do it.

This isn't a "boy thing", and I'm not sure that it could actually qualify as a miniature tim-the-toolman-taylor thing. But it could be an anger thing, even if he isn't acting angry. I have friend my age who was forced to sit in church services that espoused hatred, and he actually took the church pew apart while sitting in church. He told me that after months of the stuff he was doing during the sermons, the pew fell one night when someone sat down on it. They never figured out that it was him. (He has never stepped foot in a church since he left home!)

So please, talk to your doctor about it, get him some real opportunities to tinker in this, and give him hard consequences if he damages you or your grandparents' properties. He has to know when he can and can't do this. If he continues to refuse, then this is psychological.

Good luck!
Dawn