Along with posting activities, peg work is something both of my boys have been enjoying lately. This work is important for babies through preschoolers (and beyond!) since it helps to develop visual motor planning and fine motor skills. Visual motor skills are the combination of motor skills and visual perception skills working together, and they are needed for so many daily, practical tasks- eating, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc. Peg work also can build fine motor development as kids eventually use the tripod grasp to hold and insert “pegs”. The tripod grasp is also known as the pencil grasp and eventually translates into writing skills. There’s a large variety of simple peg work activities that can be created at home to work on this important skill. Here are a few ideas that we have tried that worked for babies and toddlers:
DIY Peg Work Activities
Pegs/Golf Tees/Craft Sticks into Play Dough
This one can be reproduced so many ways! Asher (3) tried it with clay, golf tees, and small dowels. Aiden (1) did it with play dough and larger wooden dowels I had from the craft store, but it could also be done with craft sticks, toothpicks, and sturdier straws. I’ve also seen variations of this using a block of foam instead of clay or play dough. So many great options for this peg work!
Straws onto Bottle Drying Rack
I loved that this DIY peg work was simple to put together and the perfect amount of challenge for Aiden at 14 months. I unearthed my Boon Drying Rack from pump parts and repurposed it for some fine motor fun. With some old plastic straws added in, it was the perfect peg activity!
Pegs into Wooden Board
This one is not as simple to prepare, but the bit of effort was worth it. Asher actually drilled the holes (with supervision) into this scrap wooden board my husband had. I sanded it a bit and then presented it with some wooden pegs and dowels. Both of the boys loved working together on this fine motor activity.
Crayons into Matching Spools
For this DIY peg work, I glued spools of thread (from an emergency mini sewing kit) to a small box lid. I set it out on a tray with crayons that matched the thread colors. Aiden just liked putting the crayons into the spools, but Asher had the added challenge of matching the colors. I’m loving any activity right now that can be adapted for different ability levels or that my boys can both do at the same time!
Peg Toys for Babies and Toddlers
As much as they loved the peg activities I made, there are some toys that involve peg work that are favorites at our house. These are some of the Montessori-inspired peg toys that they enjoy as well as some that we don’t own but would be excellent for this babies and toddlers that like this fine motor work:
one| Galt Pop Up Toy
two| Melissa and Doug Pound a Peg
three| HABA Palette of Pegs
four| Plan Toy Geometric Peg Board
five| Peg Dolls and Cups
six| Color Matching Hedgehog Peg Toy
seven| Size Discrimination Natural Peg Toy
eight| Stacking Peg Board Set
Have you made other peg work activities yourself? Leave a comment below, I always love to get new ideas!
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Brittany says
I enjoyed your post. I have an infant so I am constantly looking for ways to develop her and entertain her as she grows! I love that you included DIY version of store bought activities!
KMenko says
Oh I’m glad, thanks for checking it out! I always appreciate some budget-friendly DIY ideas so I thought I’d share some.
Annie says
I love those toy suggestions! Will have to check them out. I definitely learned something new about motor skills 🙂