Create a Clothespin Alphabet

Want a different way to make learning to read fun? All you need is clothespins and paint sticks, and your child will have some hands-on learning tools for spelling, alphabetical order, and sight word practice. An added bonus is that opening and closing the spring-type clothespins is a great strengthening exercise for the fine motor muscles that kids need to master handwriting.

You Will Need:

• 100 (more or less) spring-type clothespins
• Two fine-point, permanent markers in different colors
• Several paint sticks, or flat sticks about 18" long from the hardware store
• Plastic shoebox to store clothespins in

Set-Up: 

1. Create your alphabet. Use one colored marker to write a lowercase (small) letter on each of 26 clothespins. Label another 26 clothespins with uppercase (capital) letters in a different color.
2. Make extra clothespins for lower and uppercase vowels (A, a, E, e, I, i, O, o, U, u) and common consonants  (like R, r, T, t, S, s, P, p, M, m, N, n).
3. Use a colored marker to draw a happy face on the left end of each horizontal paint stick. Your child will attach the clothespins to these paint sticks to make words. The happy face will help your child to remember to work from left to right. If the happy face is right-side-up, he can start by clipping clothespins by the happy face, and be confident that he is spelling in the right direction.

The time spent creating the tools for this activity will pay off wonderfully as your child explores all the ways to use these alphabet clothespins for learning.