Clothes Peg Picnic: illustration of a toddler doing the activity

Clothes Peg Picnic

from 26 months · 10-15 min · Fine motor

Physical DevelopmentExpressive Arts and Design

What you need

  • clothes pegs
  • shoebox or bowl
  • paper plate

How to do it

  1. Show them how to squeeze a peg open and clip it to the edge of the box.
  2. Let them clip pegs all the way around the rim like a sun.
  3. Turn it into a picnic by clipping pegs onto the plate as pretend sausages.
  4. Unclip them all together and start again.

Why it matters

Squeezing a peg open works the same finger muscles as holding a pencil, so play now pays off at the writing table later.

What they're learning

pincer squeeze
Squeezing the peg open builds the same finger strength used later for holding scissors and pencils.
pretend play
Turning pegs into pretend sausages on a plate is an early step into imaginative storytelling.
repetitive practice
Clipping peg after peg builds the patience to repeat a fiddly motion until it's easy.

What to look for

Watch for them switching to using thumb and first finger together, rather than a whole-hand grab.

A tip

Wooden pegs can be stiff for little fingers, look for softer plastic ones if they're struggling.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: use soft foam pegs that need less squeeze

Harder: ask them to clip pegs in a colour pattern

More like this

First Scribble Page illustration First Scribble Page from 24 months · 5-10 min Jar Lid Twist & Unscrew illustration Jar Lid Twist & Unscrew from 20 months · 5-10 min Cup Nesting illustration Cup Nesting from 16 months · 5-10 min Muffin Tray Sort illustration Muffin Tray Sort from 26 months · 10-15 min

Browse

Fine motor activities · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a bowl · Toddler activities with paper