Toddler Activity: Pin Drop

This idea comes from my mom - an early childhood expert and preschool teacher of 30 years - as do most of my activities! But I sincerely remember her preparing this for her class and my son all the time and alllll toddlers and preschoolers love this! There's two versions - one for toddlers, one for preschoolers below. Hope You enjoy!
-Debbie Jean

You'll Need

• A coffee container or some sort of container or can (no sharp edges !)
• Clothespins - for toddlers big plastic ones are best (but regular ones work well too), for older children, the regular wooden ones are fine!

What To Do

1. For Toddlers: This takes barely any prep! Simply put the pins around the container. Show your toddler how to squeeze them to open them and take them off, then drop them in ! You can also show how to put them on the container, but this skill may take a bit longer to get! Have fun dropping them in making silly faces and yelling 'uh-oh!' or 'oops!' each time to make it a game! 
2. For Older Children: Make a few small cards or tags with either letters of the alphabet, your child(ren)'s name(s), or words they are learning on them. Pin them around the bucket with the clothespin and let them take them off, say the letter or word, then toss the pin into the bucket like a beanbag toss game. If they get a word wrong, simply say it again for them the correct way, move onto the next one and keep coming back to the incorrect one until they get it.

My 19 month old took quite a while figuring out how to squeeze the pins open, but once she got it, it was a really fun game (also a great activity when you're busy for a few minutes!).