ToyQueen.Com

Why is a Pegboard For Kids Such a Fun Fine Motor Skill Activity?

Pegboards are a great way to improve a child’s hand-eye coordination.

Looks awesome, but let’s face it, as a parent I do not know about you, but all I can see are hundreds of little pieces scattered around the living room floor.

So why are pegboards for kids a fun fine motor skill activity? Do the benefits of a pegboard outweigh the potential mess?

A pegboard is traditionally a flat plastic or wooden board with small holes where children place tiny, multi-colored pegs inside using their fingers. Some children enjoy designing their own pictures, while others may pick and choose at random, or follow structured patterns.

International Playthings provided the Quercetti Fantacolor Aquarium pegboard for kids in order to facilitate this review. Any opinions are my own. This blog also participates in an Amazon affiliate program and should you click on any links, at no cost to you, this website may receive commission.

What’s different about the Fantacolor Aquarium pegboard is that it includes 16 different fish that can be inserted, allowing kids to design around a theme.

The board includes 2 different sizes of pegs (green, yellow, red, and orange), with 200 in total.  The toy features carrying handles, and all of the pegs can be stored under the pegboard when they are not in use, using a unique design that locks the board in place on both sides. A small half-moon shape peg piece can be inserted into the back of the aquarium allowing it to stand up. However, I find that it stands up easier if the pegs aren’t being stored under the board when using it.

There is some assembly to add the stickers to the fish, but it took only a minute to complete.

I would absolutely suggest finding another way to store the pegs, such as using a Ziploc bag or old zippered cosmetic case. There are a lot of pieces with this toy and if they are not contained, they will be everywhere, quickly.

Here are 10 activities/ideas to use with this pegboard for kids to build fine motor skill, as well as to enhance a child’s creativity and problem solving:

1. Sort the pegs by groups on the board by color.

2. Set-up an alternating bead pattern for your child to follow (red/yellow/red/yellow) and expand the pattern if it is to difficult to include more colors and different sized pegs. Make sure to build horizontal (left/right) and vertical (up/down) patterns, as this helps visual tracking required for reading.

3. Insert the small half-moon shaped pegged piece in the back of the pegboard and encourage your child to use their thumb, middle and index fingers on the peg to insert it while the board is in a vertical position. This hand position helps promote a tripod style grasp for writing.

4. Place the pegs in shape designs (circle, square, triangle, cross, diagonal lines, house) and have your child try to copy them with their pegs.

5. Give the child one peg at a time so they reach out and place their fingers on the stick end of the peg. See if they can rotate the peg in their fingertips without using their other hand, then place it in the pegboard.

6. Encourage the child to pick up 2, 3 or 4 pegs in row, one at a time, one after the other, holding these additional pegs in palm of their hand. They should then release the pegs back into the board one after another while trying not to drop the remaining pegs. This activity simulates how you might pick up change from the counter at a store, using only one hand and helps with dexterity and in-hand manipulation.

7. With the peg board raised up in a vertical position, have your child lie on their stomach on the floor and insert the pegs. This helps to work on core strength as well.

8. Include a pair of tweezers and use those to pick up and place scattered pegs back into the box, as an another way to build a tripod grasp pattern.

9. Instead of always taking the pegs out from from the front with your fingers, push them out one at a time,  by using only your index finger from the backside of the board.

10. Arrange the pegs in small groups on the board and work on rote counting, or for older children to practice addition and subtraction.

International Playthings provided the Quercetti Fantacolor Aquarium pegboard for kids in order to facilitate this review. Any opinions are my own. This blog also participates in an Amazon affiliate program and should you click on any links, at no cost to you, this website may receive commission.

SaveSave

SaveSave