Some Assembly Required

So many things that we buy for our children are in fact 3D puzzles for adults before they look like the picture on the box.  And as your child gets older they will be more interested in the assembly process.  They're desire desire to be included will begin far before any ability to be "helpful" in the making things go better and faster sort of way.  But as long as your child can't choke on the pieces they grab or otherwise hurt themselves, it may be worth the decrease in efficiency to let them feel included.

The game of can you hand me that, is actually a lot of fun for small children.  And they would love it if you would explain what you are doing as you do it.  Whether or not they retain the information is not even relevant.  You are doing something different and interesting with your child.  (I mean generally speaking you only have to assemble any given object once.  So each adventure into the land of some assembly required is a unique experience.)

Now that said, don't be offended if you are trying to show your child how things work as you put their new piece of gear together, and your child starts playing with the box.  Boxes are fun and safe to play with.  And if your child is playing with the box, you are able to put the new thing together with fewer requests for the next part you need.

Even if you have just completed building a new toy for your child.  Don't take it personally or as some form of offence if your child is happily playing with the box it came in or anything else they might have taken an interest in while you were diligently assembling their new toy.  Your child is not belittling your work, or less grateful than he or she should be for the time and money spent on their behalf.  Rather your child is simply engaged in the task of being a kid.  Kids will play, it is how they have fun and how they learn.

So go ahead make the thing that you were going to make.  Then play with your child.  Whether it's with the new toy, or the box, or any other thing you might have laying around the house.  Be in the moment, and engage with your child on their level.  They will grow up soon enough.  And then you might find yourself missing the days when you could put your child in a cardboard box pushing it across the floor while making race-car sounds.