My son is about to turn 4 (next week!) and is fully entering a bit of a destructive stage. He's super into cars and loves his model die-cast cars but he loves them to death. Wing mirrors, headlights, wheels, seats, steering mechanisms, and anything else you can think of ends up coming off of his cars. He also takes apart the tape dispenser while we're doing crafts, takes the knobs off of our lamps, etc etc. He does love building things with Lego and stuff like that, but he seems to have a particular urge to disassemble things right now.

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could suggest some good toys or household objects that he could take apart? I've let him play with ballpoint pens and flashlights, but couldn't come up with anything else with a simple 'cool' mechanism that he could explore that wouldn't be too dangerous. Bonus points if he could actually maybe get it back together by himself. He is proficient with a screwdriver and can change the batteries in his toys and stuff like that.

My hobby at that age was taking apart calculators and I never injured myself.

We work on bikes (raising the seat once in a while).

We do try to wear safety glasses as much as possible.

Not sure if Snap Circuits or some kind of toy like that might be fun. It's safe and they have a Remote Controlled rover and also a kit where you can build machines that move.

I agree with the safety glasses suggestion! There are kid-sized versions available.

I think I would wander through a nearby Goodwill or Salvation Army store and see what's cheap/interesting. Certain types of toys, along with small household appliances, would be my suggestion.

We go to thrift stores and buy electric kettles, irons, computers, hair dryers, bike pumps, clocks, toasters, and coffee makers to disassemble and reassemble. I've also bought inexpensive new electric toothbrushes and have been known to take apart the vacuum.

"How it's made" is my son's favourite show, and you can find 5-6 minute segments on many topics on YouTube.

Anytime we need to do household repairs or installations, we ensure DS does as much work as possible. We did a simple woodworking project together recently to build a toy dump truck, which he also enjoyed.

We also do a lot of science play at home, making things like anemometers, hovercrafts, thermometers, etc.

Garage sales are a great source of old computers and appliances, too - usually free. Computers are serious fun to dissect (but they might not go back together so well).

For less supervision-intensive play, if he's not already too old, you can also make a wood block(s) with lots of different sized and types of screws, bolts, and whatever else is within your safety margins.

At our local kids consignment store, I found a number of plastic build-and-take apart toys (trucks, cranes, etc) that could be (dis)assembled with plastic drill/ screwdriver, wrenches and sockets. Some had many different kinds/ sizes of attachments, and 40 or more parts to fit and attach together, so these could get a little more sophisticated.

And of course, there's Meccano, of the traditional ilk as well as the younger kids plastic stuff.

I used to love taking old broken clocks and clockwork mechanisms apart. You can buy these pretty cheaply at thrift stores. Just watch for choking hazards if there are even younger siblings around. A set of watchmakers screwdrivers, Allen keys and wrenches would be required too,of course.

We just took apart an old DVD player. My son is 4.5. It was fantastic.

My daughter 3 years old is always coming up to me to ask for tools to take things apart. I consider each thing for the risk analysis, but most things I do let her take apart with what I consider to be a fair amount of supervision. There are a few things that I tell her that if she wants to take it apart she needs to keep asking me until I am convinced she really really wants to take it apart. An example is one of her favorite toys when I know the way she wants to take it apart will destroy it. I make sure that she understands there is no putting it back together, and if she keeps insisting... well we have a broken toy.

I will say that I try to neither encourage, nor discourage this drive, therefore the what gets torn apart is largely her decision, but she has to ask if it is not hers, and she has to ask to use grown up tools.

I will also add that I do encourage constructive activities like helping assemble things. She did a lot of the work on putting her big girl bed together.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I love this forum.

We do have some 'construction' type toys (especially Lego) and he likes those as well but his urge to disassemble is pretty strong so I wanted to help feed that a bit. I was mostly picturing something he could fiddle apart at the dinner table while I made dinner, so I'd step in and help/supervise a little but not do the whole thing with him.

As I think about it more though, I think a lot of the fiddling apart the cars is because he's wanting to play 'mechanic' so he breaks something and then tries to put it back. Just doesn't always work out for him... it doesn't help that his dad is pretty good at fixing stuff and takes it as a personal challenge to get it back together. So my son has a sense that everything is fixable eventually.

Are there any types of small appliances that should definitely be avoided because they contain mercury/strong capacitors/anything like that?

I also just thought of these two book/kits that my son loves. Your son would be able to play with these unsupervised, as they're just made of sturdy cardboard and plastic.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Cars-Work...r=8-1&keywords=how+cars+work+nick+arnold

http://www.amazon.com/How-Machines-...1&keywords=how+machines+work+nick+arnold

what would be the oldest that would like this aquinas (typical kid oldest age and PG oldest age) do you think? (Is it babish or at a good solid elementary level?)

Do you think he would like the Battat Take Apart toys? I also recommend going to the thrift shop and picking up cheap items to disassemble. Maybe making him a work bench just for taking things apart so parts don't get scattered around your house?

Typical probably 10-11ish? I'm admittedly not very good at guessing age typical activities.

PG maybe 7-8.

DS is 3.5 and is on the beginning end of being able to use the kit himself, but still needs significant assistance. I can see him continuing to enjoy it for a few years.

Aquinas, thanks for the links to those books! They look awesome and have gone on his wishlist. I think someone on here had suggested 'Car Science' by Richard Hammond and we've really been enjoying that book although I'm learning more from it than he is so far (it's geared a bit older).

daytripper, we have one of the Battat take apart cars and he does like it. Another big hit (for others who have similar kids) are the mini Automoblox and Lego Juniors sets.

I'll see if I can get to a thrift store and I'll let everyone know if we hit on a super great project. I'm also thinking that some of the stuff we get in happy meal toys might work well.

Hi Readermom123,

We've taken apart all sorts of small appliances and even an older leaf blower. Keep an eye out for things offered for free in local newspapers (or on craigslist/freecycle).

BUT - one note. Don't take apart a large screen TV with a tube! At least not without doing some research first.

A friend gave us one for free, and I happened to go on youtube looking for the best was to tackle dismantling it. Turns out, the tube can retain a charge for a long time and is dangerous to open up. There were a number of very clever ways to eliminate the problem "safely". I recall a contraption where the guy slung a rope slung over a tree limb and swung the TV into an angled-upward sledge hammer to break it open and discharge it.) But none were something I wanted to tackle with DS at the time.

And don't miss the opportunity to do "great art" with the bits. We arrange pieces in a pleasing manner, super glue them to a board, and then spray paint them with bronze colored paint. You'd be surprised how pretty it all looks! This website inspired some of our arrangements: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/...f-disassembled-objects-by-todd-mclellan/

Have fun.

Sue

Ooh, Sue, I love the art idea! Thank you so much. Yeah, I'd heard the same about old TV's but for example I didn't know if newer computers and flat screens have the same issues.

Yes, suevv, that disassembly art website is gorgeous! Great resource! Thanks for the share!

For take-apart fun (reverse engineering), a bicycle is a traditional project and a 4-year old would need lots of help with this... a great opportunity to talk through the names and functions of different tools and bike components.

Small wind-up music boxes are also fascinating, and the gears are somewhat similar to those found in clocks (which another poster mentioned upthread as a great item to take apart).

Kits and models may also be fun... to build and to deconstruct.

This resource also shows "how things work", although even the easier articles may be a reach for most 4-year-olds.

As someone has already mentioned, avoid televisions (non-flat screen) and CRT monitors, as you can get a hefty shock.

There is lead in solder, so definitely have your kid wash his hands after handling circuit boards. I'm not sure how much, if any, would rub off onto your hands, but better to be safe.

Funny story with "moral": Late last night I came across my son, inexplicably awake, sitting on the living room floor with a flashlight. I decided to watch for a minute to see what he was doing. He had a [THING] spread out in about 15 pieces on the floor in front of him. As I watched, he reassembled the [THING], took it apart again, reassembled it, then switched it on. It worked and he made a small sound of satisfaction. Then he switched it off and trotted back to bed just radiating happiness.

I thought I'd have a miserable time getting him up this morning. Nope. He popped right out of bed.

Moral-of-the-story: Sometimes the best thing for kids to take apart is something they can do all by themselves, with no grownup "helping."

Caveat - DS is 7, not 4. But the [THING] would have been safe for him to take apart at 4. It just required unscrewing and pulling apart. For all I know he has been doing this for years!

Sue
P.S. It was a battery-operated combination flashlight/led lantern thing.

Others have mentioned items to avoid (those which could present safety hazards), and I'll join in on that theme.

While batteries are quite common, almost omnipresent, they can cause injuries. Cylindrical batteries, button batteries, and rectangular batteries each present potential problems, ranging from accidental fires, to ingestion injuries (related to button batteries), and acid burns.

A little off topic but Lego Duplo has a "Simple Machines" kit (which is sort of a Duplo version of Lego Technic - so not too frustrating for little fingers).