Clothespin Game for Toddlers

 I based this project on an activity mentioned in the book The Toddler's Busy Book.  The activity they mentioned involved just cutting holes in the bottom of the egg carton and sticking clothespins in them.

I decided to make it more of a learning game by coloring the egg carton and the clothespins.





First, get a clean egg carton.  Use an exacto knife to cut a hole in the bottom of each egg cup.  Use markers to color the edges of the holes and to write the name of the color on the corresponding egg cup.  Use same markers to color the ends of the clothespins and to write the names of the colors.

This was a super-easy project.  I'm pretty sure it took less than half an hour to do.

Right now, Gracie enjoys taking the clothespins out and putting them back in, not necessarily in the "correct" holes.  Sometimes, she will match, and when she does, I make a big deal out of it.  When I've prompted her to find a specific color to match the clothespin, she will do it.  This is a great game for fine motor manipulation and for teaching colors.

You do have to be careful about your child pinching her fingers or hands with the clothespins.  Gracie likes to squeeze the clothespins and will get pinched.  Sometimes I think she does it on purpose just so she can say, "Ow!"