DIY Rainbow Clip Busy Bag

Fine motor has always been a fascinating concept to me. After having kids, I learned that this is something that must be nurtured and encouraged. Especially in our tech-rich world, where we finger-point everything.

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Today I have paired up my daughter’s favorite theme, rainbows, with some fine motor pincer grasping. It is also important to note that only around age 3 will a child be able to get a peg (clothespin) to open by themselves.

The rainbow preparations can be made by an adult and the completed product turned into a busy bag for future use. Some children are just too impatient to create the rainbow. My 5 year old was more than happy to make her own rainbow whereas the 3 year old who this busy bag was targeted at only wanted to smear red everywhere that day.

To make the rainbow busy bag, you will need:

Paper plates – Alternatively use cardstock if you plan to laminate.
Paint in rainbow colors – I have used our kwik sticks on this one. Yay for less mess!!
Some pegs (aka clothespins) in various sizes – having the 2 sizes of pegs was great for offering a more difficult approach whereas having the larger one (although still a challenge) enabled her to have a victory in placing the colors together.

Directions:

Step 1: fold and then cut the paper plate in half.
Step 2: use your paint sticks to make a rainbow! Also make sure to paint the pegs (clothespins). These paint sticks dry within 90 seconds so it wasn’t such a long wait to actually play with our rainbow busy bag!

Next up have your little one clip each peg (clothespin) onto the matching color. I also ask my child to tell me the color she is clipping just to reinforce the color correspondence.

Although a simple idea, it has been used a few times in the last few days. She loves rainbows and those little pegs (clothespins) are as good as “challenge accepted” to her.

Store the new busy bag in a plastic zip bag or snazzy busy bag pouch for future use. I have left ours out on the table for the week and my little one can’t resist using it almost everytime she walks past!

Watch the video here:

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