PRACTICAL LIFE: PIN POKING (BEGINNERS LEVEL)

Hello, friends!

Today, I’m sharing a super quick, easy-to-do DIY pin poking work for your toddler. I came up with this idea because my 26-month-old loves working with my mom’s push pins at her house (she has a huge corkboard on the wall), so I thought maybe it’s time I let him work with pins. Before we start with the usual pinning work in Montessori classrooms, I thought of introducing this just to let him get used to working with pins (taking them out, and putting them back in).

MATERIALS:

-push pin/s
-wine cork (I saw a teacher share this hack on Instagram awhile back, but unfortunately, I cannot remember the account’s name, huhu, sorry! Will update when I find the account again.)
-small tray (I used a mini-soap holder)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because push pins are sharp and may pose dangers for little children, this activity must ONLY BE DONE with an adult around to watch the child. I do not leave this little tray in his shelf. I keep it out of his reach and only bring it out when he wants to use it. It might be common sense, too, but I’ll leave it here anyway – please check if the pins are already rusty. Make sure you only use ones that are in tip-top shape.

So far, what I love about it:

  • It satisfies my child’s interest in pins.
  • It makes him work on hand-eye coordination.
  • It strengthens his fingers’ muscles (NOTE: it’s a bit more challenging to pin a wine cork than a corkboard, but if you want something really easy, of course you can also work with corkboards – even that would refine your child’s fine motor skills).
  • It keeps him focused and concentrated (he gives full attention to the activity because it is challenging and engaging).
  • It allows him to problem solve. While my initial expectation for taking out the pin was to just pull it, he had another way: he kept twisting the pin till it ejected from the wine cork (he may have gotten this idea since he knows how to work with screws and also our water containers).
  • It leaves room for creativity and testing of ideas. He keeps changing the pins’ locations and observes his work after.

Very quick and very easy, right? Let me know how it goes for you and your toddler! Till next time.

 

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2 Comments

    1. Hello Jenna. I introduced this a little after my son turned two…maybe 2.2 months? šŸ™‚ I wasn’t planning to, but he likes doing it so much at my mom’s place, so all thanks to my son and my mom for the idea!:)

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