My 3 year old son and I made a little poplar box to put his toy tools in.
We put it together with pocket screws. I set up the Kreg jig, and helped him drill the holes (I held the drill,and he squeezed the trigger). Then I used Kreg's right angle clamp, to hold things in place. Then I helped him drive the screws. My little 9.6v DeWalt drill is great for this. I did all of the cuts, so that wasnt' a concern.
He had alot of fun in the shop that day. Spending time with me in the shop is his favorite thing to do.
Each time before we go down to the shop, I have my "safety briefing" with my son. It goes like this:
Me: "What do you need to be, when you are in the workshop?"
Son: "A good listener!"
Me: "Thats Right, a Good Listerner. What happens if you are not a Good Listener?"
Son: "I go back upstairs" (Said with a sad serious face)
I have a one strike and you're back "up stairs" rule when it comes to the little guy in the shop.-- and he knows I'm not kidding about following through on it.
I have some colored foam fatigue mats on the floor. When I am using the table saw, I alway send him to stand on which ever color is in a safe location away from any possible kick back. Following the rule, he always stays put. When I am using the router / routertable or sanding he isn't allowed in the shop, as I don't have a dust mask that would fit him. I also have a set of hearing protection ear muffs for him. He likes to wear them when playing with his toy tools in our familyroom. Sometimes before playing with a toy tool, he stops and looks at us and says,"Let's talk about shop safety." Do you think he has watched Norm too much with me?