Well...kids need direction. I remember working with a mason on a foundation. He lived across the street, so he was babysitting his daughter on the job site. Every ten seconds he was saying “Don’t do that.” I gave the kid a pail and shovel, and sent her to the sandpile. No more problem. Giving then one thing they can do is better than them just doing a dozen things you don’t want them to do. .
Every so often as a kid (2nd grade?) my dad would have to watch me but also had to go out to the job sites. He had me scour the area for lone bricks in the dirt that a worker might drop. “Those are 25 cents, if you saw a quarter on the ground you’d pick it up - right?” I recall making some pretty good piles of the forgotten bricks.
It wasn’t until I was older that I figured out that straightening out the bent nails was just to keep me busy!