Engaging Clothespin Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers
Inside: We know Clothespin Fine Motor Activities are important for developing brains, but how do you even start? Find out inside!
If you are looking for a way to help your preschooler develop fine motor skills, clothespins are an amazing place to start. These little tools can be used to work on a variety of skills, such as grasping, pinching, and hand-eye coordination.
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Wooden clothespins are awesome for fine motor practice because they're easily accessible (there are rainbow clothespins too!). They're not just for putting clothes on the line anymore–although that's a great idea for fine motor skills too–you can use them to talk about colors, numbers, letters, shapes . . . the possibilities are endless.
I have found parents really love the ease of using clothespins in their preschooler's education because of this.

Clothespin Fine Motor Activities
There are so many ways you can incorporate clothespins into your everyday life with small children.
Here is a fun way to use clothespins to create DIY paintbrushes for little hands. I love this one because it's offering new and unique textures that kids might not expect. The possibilities are endless with this craft, and I love it!

Dinosaur Color Matching Clothespin Activity
This one was super easy, I just took some wooden shapes from the craft store and painted them.
For the dinosaurs, I painted them one color and added spots. I used both colors to paint a clothespin also, so my kids can match the colors to the dinosaurs while still working on their fine motor skills.
Here are a few other things you can do to practice fine motor skills with your child.
My very favorite way to work on fine motor muscles is clip cards.
These are easy to find and can be customized for any holiday, season or theme.
I love clip cards because they're easy to master, and there are so many different ways to use them.
Once your little understands what clip cards are and how to use them, they'll be able to pick up any clip card set and benefit from them quickly. And best of all, you won't have to explain it over and over again!
I have a list below you'll be able to find all the clip cards and clothespin activities I can find, have a look!
Clothespin Activity Benefits
Good fine motor skills are important for a preschooler because they are essential for learning how to write, dress themselves, and use tools. Fine motor skills involve the small muscles in the hands and fingers, and practicing these skills help children become more coordinated.
Pincer Grasp: Using clothespins by pinching them between your thumb and index finger is a very powerful activity for your fine motor skills. Click here for all the information you need to know about pincer grasp activities for preschoolers!
Hand-Eye Coordination: A vitally important skill for everyone! You need this to do things like pick up objects you've dropped or put clothes on a hanger.
Strengthening Hand Muscles: You'll see a lot of this with any project that requires squeezing, grasping or stirring. It's a great way for kids to work out those tiny hand muscles while still playing and having fun.
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You can find all the best clip cards right here:
Preschool Clip Cards
The thing I love most about clip cards (besides how easy they are to print and use quickly) is the ability to combine holidays, seasons, or really any theme in the real world with hands-on math.
Once you show kids how to do clip cards, it opens up their world to more and different themes for these clip cards. I love them as an educational tool, and I know you will too. Here are my best card sets.
These Spring Garden Counting Clip Cards are an adorable and fun way to talk about numbers and counting, and make learning an engaging experience. The extra fine motor skills are an amazing addition!
The art is so beautiful on these too! These little vegetables and garden essentials are adorable.
I love how easy these are to just print and use, but I HIGHLY recommend laminating these papers.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 5 page PDF
- Numbers 1-10
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Great for homeschoolers
- Perfect for preschool and kindergarten teachers
- Moms who need a little extra time this planting season
FEATURES
- Your child will talk about numbers, and begin to recognize a collection of numbers.
- Your child will learn how to count with this fun, hands on set of clip cards
- Learning numbers is easier than ever with counting clip cards. Kids will be excited about their "work" as they learn, and practice their fine motor skills.
- A great way to supplement math work you might already have on hand or in a curriculum.
- Provide a way for your child to have fun while learning.
- Help little ones learn their numbers and the correct order.
TIPS
- Use counters to have hands on math with these!
- I put these into a sensory bin with uncooked noodles and let students find the cards, then put them in order by number.
Each page is 8.5" x 11", but you can adjust this in your printer settings.
This back-to-school themed set of clip cards is perfect for preschoolers. They can practice colors with these fun, bright, and adorable back to school clip cards. With the back to school clip card set, children will have lots of fun practicing their skills in a creative way!
Learning and reviewing colors are an important part of preschool, and they often have the CUTEST printables, and this is no exception. I can't resist how adorable these little owls are!
I love how easy these are. Print, cut, and provide clothespins, pompoms, or tiny erasers.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 20 different clip carts, 4 per page
- Another copy of those 20 clip carts, but with the WORD underneath, instead of a dot of color, for word recognition.
WHO IS IT FOR?
- This is perfect for parents who want to get their child ready for kindergarten, and practice colors and color words.
- This is also perfect for teachers who are looking for a cute way to cement colors into their students little minds.
FEATURES
- A beautiful and interactive way for you to review or learn colors
- Each page is 8.5" x 11", but you can adjust this in your printer settings.
Counting Clip Cards allow preschoolers to practice counting skills and work on hand-eye coordination, as well as their little finger strength, with the clothespins.
These cards are also a great way for parents to help increase the independence of their children, while also fostering self-confidence in them.
I love using these printables as a way to occupy my kids for a minute while I move laundry, let the dog out, or secretly eat chocolate alone in the pantry.
These Gnome Halloween Counting Clip Cards are an adorable and fun way to talk about numbers, and make learning an engaging experience. The extra fine motor skills are an amazing addition!
The art is so beautiful on these too! If you love gnomes, this is the Halloween
I love how easy these are to just print and use, but I HIGHLY recommend laminating these papers.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 4 page PDF
- Numbers 1-10
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Great for homeschoolers
- Perfect for preschool and kindergarten teachers
- People who LOVE gnomes!
FEATURES
- Your child will talk about numbers, and begin to recognize a collection of numbers.
- Your child will learn how to count with this fun, hands on set of clip cards
- Learning numbers is easier than ever with counting clip cards. Kids will be excited about their "work" as they learn, and practice their fine motor skills.
- A great way to supplement math work you might already have on hand or in a curriculum.
- Provide a way for your child to have fun while learning
- Help little ones learn their numbers and the correct order
TIPS
- Use the counters to have hands on math with these!
- I put these into a sensory bin with uncooked noodles and let students find the cards, then put them in order by number.
Each page is 8.5" x 11", but you can adjust this in your printer settings.
These Counting Roses clip cards are a beautiful and elegant way to talk about numbers, and make learning an engaging experience. I love the extra fine motor skills at play here.
Pink roses really scream spring, don't you think? Bring May Flowers into the classroom with these cute clip cards.
I love how easy these are to just print and use, but I HIGHLY recommend laminating these papers.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 4 page PDF
- Numbers 1-10
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Great for homeschoolers
- Perfect for preschool and kindergarten teachers
- People who LOVE gnomes!
FEATURES
- Your child will talk about numbers, and begin to recognize a collection of numbers.
- Your child will learn how to count with this fun, hands on set of clip cards
- Learning numbers is easier than ever with counting clip cards. Kids will be excited about their "work" as they learn, and practice their fine motor skills.
- A great way to supplement math work you might already have on hand or in a curriculum.
- Provide a way for your child to have fun while learning
- Help little ones learn their numbers and the correct order
TIPS
- Use the counters to have hands on math with these!
- I put these into a sensory bin with uncooked noodles and let students find the cards, then put them in order by number.
Each page is 8.5" x 11", but you can adjust this in your printer settings.
You're in for a gobblin' good time with these Thanksgiving Clip Cards. They're awesome fine motor skills muscle flexers and a really fun way to talk about numbers, counting, and colors, and make learning an engaging experience.
The art is so beautiful on these too! These little turkeys are adorable. They're throwing leaves in the air, and children need to count them, then clip the correct amount underneath.
I love how easy these are to just print and use, but I HIGHLY recommend laminating these papers.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 8 page PDF
- Numbers 1-10
- BONUS, Color Clip Cards, match the color of the leaves to the dot on the bottom.
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Great for homeschoolers
- Perfect for preschool and kindergarten teachers
- Moms who need a little extra time this Thanksgiving.
FEATURES
- Your child will talk about numbers, and begin to recognize a collection of numbers.
- Your child will learn how to count with this fun, hands on set of clip cards
- Learning numbers is easier than ever with counting clip cards. Kids will be excited about their "work" as they learn, and practice their fine motor skills.
- A great way to supplement math work you might already have on hand or in a curriculum.
- Provide a way for your child to have fun while learning.
- Help little ones learn their numbers and the correct order.
TIPS
- Use counters to have hands on math with these!
- I put these into a sensory bin with uncooked noodles and let students find the cards, then put them in order by number.
Each page is 8.5" x 11", but you can adjust this in your printer settings.
These little ladybugs an adorable and fun way to talk about numbers and counting. Use clothespins to clip the correct answer, and you'll be working on fine motor skills as well.
I love how easy these are to just print and use, but I HIGHLY recommend laminating these papers.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
- 8 page PDF
- Numbers 1-10
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Great for homeschoolers
- Perfect for preschool and kindergarten teachers
- Moms who need a little extra time this springs=
FEATURES
- Your child will talk about numbers, and begin to recognize a collection of numbers.
- Your child will learn how to count with this fun, hands on set of clip cards
- Learning numbers is easier than ever with counting clip cards. Kids will be excited about their "work" as they learn, and practice their fine motor skills.
- A great way to supplement math work you might already have on hand or in a curriculum.
- Provide a way for your child to have fun while learning.
- Help little ones learn their numbers and the correct order.
TIPS
- Use counters to have hands on math with these!
- I like to put these into a sensory bin with uncooked noodles and let students find the cards, then put them in order by number.
Each page is 8.5" x 11", but you can adjust this in your printer settings.