Trying the same old activities at home or in class can be boring for kids and can lead to a less engaged environment. But, when you use push pins you can kill two birds with one stone; learning different things and exercising fine motor skills in a fun manner.
These activities can be as simple as you like by using just a piece of paper or you can make them a little more involved by adding other crafts into the mix. Let’s check it out.
1. Learning Letters
If you need an activity for kids that works on controlling their fine motor skills then look no further than having them trace letters. This will help them learn the alphabet and control grip strength before holding a pencil.
Learn More: Mindful Movement Therapies
2. Count Numbers
An engaging activity that is similar to learning to trace letters is doing the same thing with numbers. Using push pins to poke holes and trace numbers can teach them how to count in a fun way.
Learn More: I Can Teach My Child
3. Creating Simple Pictures
There are two ways to approach this activity for children. You can have them trace the outline of pictures or let them take their own creative path to make a unique picture. Outlines are much easier for younger kids to work on their hand control.
Learn More: Your Therapy Source
4. Add Some Yarn To the Mix
You can have kids work on motor skill activities by having them use a few different push pins and yarn. Let them place the push pins into a piece of cardboard and use yarn to wrap around the pins to play with different patterns.
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5. Non-Dominant Hand Activity
Using your non-dominant hand is difficult when you have never practiced anything with it, but it’s important for kids to develop some level of motor skills. Have them do some of the tracing exercises using their non-dominant hand to practice.
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6. Push Pin Tic Tac Toe
You can get specific tic tac toe push pins to play with your kids or family. You can also get regular push pins and just use two colors to establish different teams.
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7. Push Pin Color Groupings
Working with kids to differentiate between colors and learning to group objects is important. You can give the kids cardboard that has specified areas for specific colors. Then, the kids can organize and match the push pins with the colors. This is a great motor activity.
Learn More: Learning 4 Kids
8. Push Pin Christmas Tree
Who doesn’t love a good holiday activity? Kids will enjoy being able to make poke pictures out of a Christmas tree and they can even color it in afterward. This really helps develop finger muscles and keeps them engaged.
Learn More: Your Kids OT
9. Prewriting Activity with Push Pins
You can go from using push pins right to learning to hold the pencil grip. Let kids work on mazes by using push pins and then a pencil to trace around the area and work on control. They can make zig zags or any other patterns they wish to!
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10. Make Photo Frames
A really cute push-pin activity that your kid can do is make a photo frame by punching holes to cut out the middle part of the rectangle. Then, kids can decorate the frame and have their parents give them a picture to complete the project.
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11. Grip Practice With The Class
The pincer grip is not the easiest for kids to grasp That’s why you can buy big push pins to teach them how to hold the grip properly and develop their finger strength and hand control.
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12. Push Pin Pumpkin
When Fall comes around and you need a good activity for the kids, let them have some fun creating pumpkin pictures. You can also do this with other holiday pictures like Easter eggs or Christmas-themed images.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
13. Making Shapes
Learning shapes and being able to trace them is important for young kids. That’s why even simple shapes like triangles, circles, squares, and more can make great poke activities.
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14. Push Pin Bingo
What better way to use push-pin activities than to play bingo with them? This activity employs good eye-hand coordination and listening skills. Kids will get a kick out of the game and you can even play for prizes. It works for many age levels.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
15. Push Pin Card Making
Kids can learn to use their push-pin poke skills by making interesting cards out of their artwork. This can also be a great holiday celebration activity if you want to add a theme to it. Giving kids some guidance often helps with the direction of the activity.
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16. Push Pin Rubber Band Match
Just like you can use push pins with yarn or string, you can also use rubber bands to match pictures. This can be done in a number of ways to make it appropriate for the age group you’re working with. You can match words with pictures, numbers, shapes, and so on.
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17. Creative Board for Their Door
Very similar to a magnetic alphabet that goes up on the fridge or a board, you can create this using push pins. Let the kids create their own messages or pin-up pictures that resonate with them to decorate their boards.
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18. Fill in the Heart
The activity requires students to poke holes into the white spots of the punctured heart printable. This is fun for kids who are just starting to develop their grip.
Learn More: Fun with Mama
19. Push Pin Easter Eggs
Making Easter eggs is a fun poke picture activity to keep kids busy when there is a lot of sugar floating around. Afterward, they can color their eggs and hang them up to decorate the house or classroom.
Learn More: Happy Hive Homeschooling
20. Sight Word Activity
It’s never a bad idea to work on sight words. Finding new ways to do this is important. So, why not use push pins? Spelling out the sight words with the push pins is one way to do it, but you can have the kids trace them as well.
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21. Follow the Line
Using push pins to follow the pattern is a great way for younger kids to work on controlling their fine motor skills. This can be as simple as a straight line or using a tougher pattern for them to follow.
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