What is Tinkering?

what is tinkering?

What does Tinkering mean?

Tinker /ˈtiNGkər/ n. to make small changes to something, especially in an attempt to repair or improve it (Cambridge Dictionary)

You may have noticed this quaint little word that’s at the heart of my blog title, and today I’d like to talk a bit about tinkering. 

taking toys apart tinkering
Taking toys apart. From Melissa at Imagination Soup.

What is Tinkering?

The definition above suggests that it’s about improving something by making changes to it.

The Oxford Dictionaries says that to tinker is to:

“attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory (unfocused) way.” 

The Free Dictionary says that a tinkerer is:

“one who enjoys experimenting with and repairing machine parts.”

“Tinker” emerged in the late 14th century as a mender of kettles, pots, pans, and the like. Some believe the origin connects to the “tink” sound of light hammering on metal vessels. These traveling craftsmen would fiddle with broken household items, carrying their real tools from village to village. By the 1590s, “to tinker” meant working experimentally or in a hands-on, sometimes imperfect way—exactly the spirit of learning through doing that we value today.

what is tinker
Gum Drop Sculptures, Tinkerlab

These are all helpful starting points. The tinkering I have in mind is full of focus and purpose, and succeeds at generating new ideas.

While we can easily imagine someone tinkering with a screwdriver and an old toaster in their garage, let’s also consider how we could tinker with paint and brushes, paper cups and glue, an irrigation system, a 3-D printer, photo editing software, and ideas themselves.

Real-World Tinkering Examples

mama smiles phones tinkering

In the garage: Many famous inventors started as garage tinkerers. The Wright brothers didn’t set out to invent flight—they were bicycle mechanics who kept experimenting with different materials and designs until they made their discoveries. You might have your own tinkering garage or know someone who does.

In the home studio or at school: Watch young children tackle engineering challenges with hot glue guns, cardboard, and wire. Their natural creativity emerges through collaboration and self-expression as they develop their own ideas.

In the classroom: Teachers create design challenges where kids use real tools to solve problems. A research project might start with students taking apart an old device to understand its mechanics, then building something new.

An Expanded Definition

When I think about a tinkerer, I envision a more expansive definition:

Tinkerer: one who experiments with materials and ideas to fully understand their capacities, and who further iterates on their learning to find better solutions to current problems.

Tinkering is about hands-on experiences, learning from failures, and unstructured time to explore and invent. Through exploration and invention lies the potential for innovation.

nuts and bolts tinker
Nuts and bolts. From Kristin at Toddler Approved

Why Tinkering Matters for Learning

Tinkering bridges the gap between abstract knowledge and real-world application. When students engage in hands-on experimentation, they develop crucial problem-solving skills that traditional lecture-based learning might miss.

The process involves:

  • Feedback loops between action and result
  • Learning from what doesn’t work
  • Building confidence through small successes
  • Developing persistence when facing challenges

For kids, tinkering is natural. Give them a cardboard box and some tape, and they’ll create everything from rocket ships to robot costumes. This innate drive to experiment is important and deserves nurturing.

Getting Started with Tinkering

You don’t need expensive equipment to begin. Start with:

  • Different materials around your house
  • Basic tools (even real tools for older kids)
  • Time to explore without predetermined outcomes
  • Permission to “fail” and try again

The key is creating space for unstructured exploration where creativity can flourish.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of tinkering, click here to discover my favorite tinkering resources.

What does “tinkering” mean to you? Do you make time for tinkering?

Special thanks to Imagination Soup, Mama Smiles Blog, and Toddler Approved for sharing their tinkering images.

 

 

 

newsletter square tinkerlab

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18 Comments

  1. Hi, I didn’t even know this word in English, thank you for sharing! I also agree with all what you said, and wait for next week’s tinkering! 🙂
    Cecilia

    • Hey Cecilia, It’s an old fashioned word that’s not often used, but I think it captures the spirit of the DIY movement, invention, and innovation. I love this word! Look forward to seeing you next week! ~rachelle

  2. Great post. I fully believe in the power of unstructured time to tinker, but have a harder time convincing my husband. He grew up going to lessons 5 days a week so he still has that mentality.

    So, a question relating to taking things apart… I started doing that with my son a while ago and then started wondering if electronics/small appliances contain heavy metals or other dangerous stuff. Does anyone know about this?

    • They can, Lindsey. Battery-operated objects (including those with rechargeable batteries built in) can also have electric charges that have not been discharged. We emphasize safety when we take things apart, and it’s wise to research what is inside the object before you start.

      • Great question! MaryAnne is right. It’s smart to do a little research with each thing you pull apart. The safest bet is to go with purely mechanical pieces that don’t run on electricity, like clocks. We disassembled a computer monitor, which is extremely dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and while my husband was fully in control it wasn’t without anxiety. However, in the upcoming weeks I’ll share objects that are safe for kids to take apart!

  3. My kids love tinkering! It’s a great way to explore, and learn safety rules for taking things apart and using tools as well!

    • And thanks again for sharing the great image of your tinkering duo!

  4. I wouldn’t take apart phones, the solder often contains lead.

    How about MAKING a phone instead? Give the child an old, simple 4-function calculator, some tape and the shell of a phone from which you’ve removed the boards.

    • Making a phone is a great idea, Emily!

  5. lovely post; my little boy loves tinkering too; he likes his toy tools, but i think he’d prefer some mini real ones (like the mini spanners that come with fiddly things) – do they exist do you know? maybe a wooden set? sorry going OT there… my boy is 2.5 yrs, and his brain is ahead of his body so often gets really frustrated that he cant put things back together the way he wants (he’s also a perfectionist) – any tips? or simpler household things that work well for deconstructing?

  7. Oh, I can’t wait to see what the tinkering challenge is! I do love your challenges, and my oldest little girl is just getting to be of the tinkering age 🙂

  10. […] A makerspace (sometimes called maker culture)  is an area with tools to support hands on learning and creativity so students can tinker, design, construct, build, experiment, hack, invent, fix and problem solve. “Tinkering is about hands-on experiences, learning from failures, and unstructured time to explore and invent ” From Tinkerlab: What is Tinkering […]

  11. My children tinker with things all the time trying to figure out how things work or taking it apart.

  12. Hi Rachelle, this post date long time ago! My first language is french and I’m North American (Qc, Can). I’m an adult and a tinkerer but that can sound pejorative (Oxford) so I’m reluctant to use it.
    Thank you, your blog post confirm the way I interpreted it. I would like to add that to tinker you got to use what’s already available around.
    🙂 It’s not tinkering if it involve driving 15 miles to the mall to the fancy craft store with a 20 items long list! 🙂 🙂

    DIY movement yeah

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