Fine Motor Skill Development with Clothespins (Pegs)

Your Kids OT has always had a philosophy of incorporating therapy ideas into every day life, to  make learning fun and to support child development in the home. 

2020 has brought us all home.  

We are all navigating  this new life where home schooling is going to be a new norm for the foreseeable future.  It is extra "work" for parents whilst the new norm for teacher's is to plan these sessions so that they are achievable at home.  It is only day 2 for my children . I have one child who's lessons are independent and online.  For my younger child, we are working through lessons together and incorporating other non-academic time into the day.  A new normal for us all.  

Therapy at home will be so important too.  For those of you who can, access telehealth services with your OTs.  If you are in Australia, contact me for a telehealth information pack. 

Today I'm going to show you how to use a household item to help your child's fine motor development whilst working on academic goals simultaneously. 

Pegs or clothespins (depending on what part of the world you are from) are a fantastic way to work on fine motor skills.  We can work on:

• hand strength (as the spring mechanism provides resistance)
• a pincer grasp
• the separation of the two sides of the hand
• manual dexterity
• in-hand manipulation skills
• crossing the midline

When using pegs... 

• encourage your child to keep their fingers strong (don't collapse at the joints if possible)
• encourage them to tuck their 3rd, 4th and 5th fingers into the palm of their hands (you can give them something to hold if they don't naturally do this - or you could try holding a few pegs together and moving them up to the thumb/index finger)
• try different types of pegs  (if you have them) as they will have different resistance
• try flipping a peg with just the one hand to put it into the right position

Toddlers/Preschoolers

• Peg a container - randomly, placing one colour on each side, create a pattern
• Draw coloured lines (or add stickers) onto cardboard to match.
• Help peg the washing on an indoor line.  Peg up  socks or dolls clothes.
• Peg things around the house - do a colour scavenger hunt (eg. curtain, book cover, cushion, quilt cover)

School age children

• ​Create an alphabet wheel - Find certain letters, Revise alphabetical order - revise capital/lower case letters.
• Create a clock - Revise time with two different pegs, use the clock to work on addition and times tables, use the clock to peg that many items around the house to match the number
• They can peg out the washing too! 

Don't have pegs? Try bull-dog clips (ie. binder clips)! 
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​Watch my new You-tube video series which will be posted alongside these blog posts.  ---> Your Kids OT You-Tube.

Are you "home schooling"? 

How can you incorporate pegs (clothespins) or bull dog clips (binder clips) into your child's day?
​Let me know!

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Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy website and blog  Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook).  

Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​

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