How Finnish schools use makerspaces and project workshops
Finland has taught craft as a compulsory subject since the 19th century, and many schools have now expanded that tradition into modern makerspaces where woodwork and textiles sit alongside 3D design, electronics and robotics.
- Craft, historically known as sloyd, has been a compulsory subject in Finnish comprehensive schools for grades one through seven, covering design, technology and hands on making.
- Craft was originally taught as separate strands for technical work and textile work; many schools now combine both into a single, integrated craft subject for all pupils.
- Newer makerspaces extend traditional woodwork and sewing rooms with tools such as 3D CAD design, basic robotics, electronics and e-textiles.
- Research on Finnish school makerspaces highlights collaborative, team based projects where pupils design, build and problem solve together, rather than following a single fixed set of instructions.
Craft as the original Finnish makerspace
Long before 'makerspace' became a common term in education, Finland already had a version of it built into the timetable: craft class. Every pupil, not just those who choose a design elective, works with real materials and tools from an early age, learning to plan a project, use it safely, and see it through from idea to finished object.
Historically, technical work (often wood and metal) and textile work (often sewing and textiles) were taught separately, sometimes along traditional gender lines. A notable shift in recent decades has been merging these into one integrated craft subject open to every pupil, regardless of gender, so that all children get experience with both textiles and technical materials.
How schools are turning craft rooms into full makerspaces
Some Finnish schools have expanded their craft classrooms into broader makerspaces, adding digital design and fabrication tools such as 3D CAD software, simple robotics kits, electronic circuits and e-textiles, alongside the traditional workbenches and sewing machines. Research on these projects has found that pairing technical work and textile teachers in a shared space, rather than keeping them in separate rooms, supports more collaborative, cross disciplinary projects.
This links naturally to Finland's approach to robotics and technology education, since a makerspace gives pupils a physical setting to apply digital design skills to something they can actually hold.
What K-5 schools elsewhere can take from this approach
A school does not need an expensive fabrication lab to borrow the underlying idea: give pupils a recurring, hands on subject where they plan a project, choose materials, work through mistakes, and finish something real, rather than treating hands on making as an occasional treat disconnected from core lessons. For K-5 classrooms, this can start simply, with basic woodwork, sewing, or model building, before layering in any digital tools.
The Finnish model also suggests a useful principle for facilities planning: pairing subjects and teachers who might otherwise sit in separate departments, such as design and technology, can produce richer projects than keeping them fully separate.
Frequently asked questions
What is 'sloyd' and how does it relate to Finnish craft education?
Sloyd is the historical Nordic term for structured, educational handicraft, and it is the root of Finland's long standing compulsory craft subject, which still shapes how craft is taught in Finnish schools today.
Do Finnish pupils choose between textile work and technical work?
Many schools have moved away from that separation and now teach an integrated craft subject where every pupil gets experience with both textiles and technical materials, rather than being tracked into one or the other.
Is a Finnish style makerspace only relevant for secondary school?
No. Craft is compulsory from grade one, so hands on making with age appropriate materials and tools is part of the Finnish approach from the start of primary school, well before any digital fabrication tools are introduced.
Related reading
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