ABSTRACT
Having the opportunity to explore wood through bespoke and focused woodwork sessions has enabled young children, aged 3 to 5 years, to create the unimaginable by following their interests. This chapter looks at the importance of inclusion and providing equal opportunities for all children. It explores best practice to ensure we are proactive in tackling disadvantage and challenging stereotypes. The chapter explains how woodwork can be a powerful medium with which to deeply engage all children. Young children will already have been subjected to a vast amount of social conditioning, absorbing beliefs and expectations from roles portrayed in stories, television and advertising, and observed in family and friends. Children with additional needs and disabilities should also be given the opportunity of woodwork but they may need extra support. Children with English as an additional language usually have no difficulty understanding the processes involved in woodwork as the introduction of tools and their safe use can all be clearly visually demonstrated.
