Clothespins plus containers are a match made in heaven, perfect for keeping little hands busy. Today, Veronika and I played a few variations on the game.

We started with an empty almond milk jug, which was perfect because it had a lid that Veronika could easily twist on and off, plus the hard plastic sides meant that clothespins inside would make a nice jangling noise.

I simply showed her how to drop clothespins in.

And she took it upon herself to dump them out again!

For variation, seal it up and shake it like a maraca. For further variation, drop something else inside! We decided metallic spoons might be too loud, but give them a try if your kids like things really noisy.

As an alternative clothespin game, I showed Veronika how to pinch spring-type clothespins around the rim of an empty coffee can.

The pinching motion proved to be too advanced still for her at seventeen months, so I’ll probably return to this game down the road.

But when I cut a hole in the center of the coffee can lid, she loved dropping clothespins inside!

She needed help to remove this lid, but then could dump the clothespins out and begin again. The can also makes the perfect place to store clothespins, when we’re ready to put the game away.

As a side note, coffee cans are also great for filling with rocks.

Drop them in, put on the lid, and shake away for a noisy maraca! This was a great way to extend some recent rock play.