The Montessori pushpinning or pin punching activity is a practical life exercise designed to develop fine motor skills and concentration in young children. In this activity, a child uses a small pushpin or punch tool to create holes along the outline of a shape or pattern on a piece of paper. The child places the paper on a soft mat to protect the surface underneath. This activity not only helps with the development of manual dexterity but also prepares the child for writing by strengthening the muscles in their hands and improving their ability to focus on detailed tasks.
- What is Montessori Push Pinning?
- Why do Montessori Students do Push Pinning?
- Is it Writing or Art?
- Needed Supplies
- Lesson Plan
- Tips for Success
- Push Pinning Across the Curriculum
- Seasonal Activities
What is Montessori Push Pinning?
Montessori push pinning is a practical life activity that involves using a push pin to create a design or pattern on a piece of paper. This activity is designed to help children develop their pincer grip and refine their fine motor skills. Additionally, the activity requires concentration and focus, which helps children develop their attention span and self-discipline. Montessori push pinning activities are suitable for children aged three and above and are an excellent way to introduce them to the world of art and creativity.
The push pinning activity is typically performed on a soft felt board or a corkboard, with the paper placed on top of it. The child then uses a push pin to poke holes through the paper, following a pattern or design that has been drawn on it. The end result is a beautiful design created by the child’s own hand.
Montessori push pinning activities can be adapted to suit the needs and abilities of children of different ages and skill levels. Younger children may start with simple designs or patterns, while older children can be challenged with more complex designs or patterns.
Why do Montessori Students do Push Pinning?
Order, Concentration, Coordination, Independence
One of the reasons this lesson has become such a staple of the Montessori curriculum is that it helps the child build a strong foundation of order, concentration, coordination, and independence. These four skills are essential for a child’s overall development, and are the main focus of early childhood education in a Montessori school.
- Order is an important skill that children develop through push pinning activities. These activities require children to follow a specific sequence of steps: from taking the materials from the shelf, safely completing the lesson, and then returning it to the shelf, ready for the next student – the child learns to follow the sequence. As they progress through the activities, they become more organized and efficient.
- Concentration is the next skill that children develop through pin punching. Students must focus carefully on their task – sometimes for an extended period of time depending on how complicated their chosen pattern is. Their ability to concentrate and focus for longer periods of time grows as they work towards more complex designs and projects.
- Coordination is another skill that children develop through push pinning activities. These lessons require children to use their hand-eye coordination to push their pin through the paper only on the line or dot of the design, which helps them develop their fine motor skills. As their coordination improves they become more skilled, and their designs become more precise.
- Independence is the another skill that children develop through push pinning activities. Students work independently on pin punching, which helps them develop their self-confidence and self-esteem. As students learn from mistakes and become more skilled at this work, they become more independent and self-reliant.
Is it Writing or Art?
The argument could be made that push pinning is actually both an art activity and a pre-writing activity!
The direct aim of this work is to carefully punch out a design. These activities allow children to create beautiful works of art while developing their fine motor skills.
Students can create simple designs, such as shapes and letters, or more complex designs, such as animals and landscapes. As they continue to work on the activity, they become more skilled and creative.
An indirect aim of this lesson is to build the fine motor skills necessary for writing. Development of the pincer grip during the Early Childhood years will set the foundation for writing, and build the stamina needed for longer writing, as the child grows.
Needed Supplies
To engage your child in Montessori push pinning activities, you will need a few essential supplies. Here is a list of items you will need to get started:
- A push pin board: A push pin board is a board with a cork surface, or a piece of felt, that allows your child to push pins into it. You can purchase a pre-made push pin board or make your own. Here is an example of one available for purchase: Felt Pad for Punching
- Push pins: You will need push pins with large, easy-to-grip heads. From simple plastic pins to wooden punchers – there are many different types of pins to choose from. Here is an example of one available for purchase: Wood Handed Puncher *Please note that the tiny plastic push pins can be dangerous for small children. Make sure you are choosing materials that are not a choking hazard.
- Pictures or patterns: You will need pictures or patterns for your child to push pins into. You can print out pictures or patterns from the internet or have the child design and trace their own. Here are some examples for purchase: Pin Punching Patterns
- Tray: You will need a tray to hold the push pins, pictures, and push pin board. A tray with compartments will help your child keep the materials organized. Here are some examples for purchase: Trays
Make sure to supervise your child during push pinning activities to ensure their safety.
Lesson Plan
- Invite the student to the shelf where the push pinning is kept. Model choosing the work and taking it to the table.
- Choose a piece of construction paper with a design to be punched.
- Place the paper on the push pin board or piece of felt.
- Model for the student how to carefully punch along the lines of the design with the push pin. Show them to take their time and be precise.
- Once the design is complete, carefully remove the design from the paper and show off the creation.
- Model for the student cleaning up the tray and returning the work to the shelf.
- Ask the child if they would like to try.
Also see Montessori Album
Tips for Success
1. Establish Guidelines for Safe Push Pinning:
Procedures and guidelines should be in place for Push Pinning in a classroom. Explain clearly how to safely handle a push pin and make sure the pins themselves are a safe size for the students who will be using them. Carefully observe students to ensure they are ready for this lesson. For more thoughts on this topic be sure to read this post by Living Montessori Now: Montessori Services Puncher Pack Review and Push Pin Warning
2. Choose Appropriate Supplies:
We love the felt mats from Montessori Services. If you do not have access to these, you may need to try a few different types of surfaces to find one that works for you. Cork boards and styrofoam will disintegrate after a lot of use but they could work in a home setting. Also try a few different pushpins. If your child is still putting objects in their mouth or is still developing impulse control, do not use the small pushpins because they are a choking hazard. However these small pushpins can be excellent for developing the pencil grip because it forces the child to use the three-finger pincer grip. Use with discretion and under supervision.
3. Scaffold Concentration:
Children are very attracted to pin punching activities but sometimes do not have the concentration to follow through with poking around the whole shape with precision. To support a child who is eager to engage in this activity but ends up poking holes all over the place or crumples up the paper in frustration, place a little pencil mark along the shape and challenge the child to poke as far as that mark as carefully as possible. Once they’ve reached that point, celebrate with them and make another mark to reach.
Push Pinning Across the Curriculum
Push pinning activities are not only a fun way for children to develop their fine motor skills, but they can also be used to teach a variety of subjects across the curriculum. Here are some ideas for incorporating push pinning activities into different areas of learning:
- One of the most popular pin punching activities is to trace and then punch out the continents of the world. The student can then glue their continents together on top of a painted ocean background and label the continents. This lesson is seen in Montessori schools all over the world.
- As the students learn about the planets, they could trace and pin punch each planet and glue them in order to create their own model of our Solar System.
- As students learn the names of shapes, they could trace and pin punch each one to create a poster with all of the shapes they have learned. They could label each shape with its name and display it.
Seasonal Activities
Montessori Push Pinning Activities can be adapted to fit any season or holiday. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Winter: Create snowflakes by pushing pins through white paper. You can also use blue or silver paper to represent ice. Hang the snowflakes around the classroom or at home to create a winter wonderland.
- Spring: Cut out flower shapes from colored paper and let the children push pins through the center of the flowers. You can also use green paper to represent leaves. Display the flowers on a bulletin board or in a vase to brighten up the room.
- Summer: Create a beach scene by having the children push pins through brown paper to represent sand, and blue paper to represent water. You can also add shells or other beach-themed decorations to the scene.
- Fall: Cut out leaf shapes from colored paper and let the children push pins through the center of the leaves. Display the leaves on a bulletin board or create a fall wreath. Apples are another classic fall pin punching design.
A Google search for push pinning ideas will generate a near limitless list of creative activities! Find more inspiration for push pinning activities:
- Montessori Nature: ideas and printables
- Welcome to Montessori: Pin Poking Shapes Printable Bundle
- Pinterest: ideas and resources
Madeline has been a Montessori educator for 16 years, with experience in both Children's House and Elementary levels. Her favorite Montessori lessons to give are the Grammar lessons. Madeline lives in Virginia and loves to travel with her family and trying out new recipes at home!