Mini washing line
Set up a mini washing line for some open-ended fine motor fun and some bonus sorting activities.
Tie some string or attach tape between two chairs to create a child-sized washing line that invites lots of open-ended play.
Provide pegs and a collection of socks (or small cloths) and let kids hang, sort, and mix & match. Add a basket or bowl to encourage filling, emptying, and transporting. A simple setup that ticks both play and skill-building boxes.
This activity is fantastic for building fine motor strength, coordination, and problem-solving and can be adapted for different ages.
Younger kids love the simple satisfaction of pegging and unpegging, while older children can sort by colour, size, or patterns, or even role-play "family laundry day."
Materials
Prep
Step 1:
Tie a length of string or attach tape securely between two chairs.
Step 2:
Place the chairs close enough for the line to stay taut but still accessible to kids.
Step 3:
Gather socks, pegs, and any baskets or bowls.
Step 4:
Place everything within easy reach of the play space and stay close to supervise.
Play
Step 1:
If necessary, show your child how to peg socks or cloths onto the line.
Step 2:
Encourage them to unpeg and re-peg items independently.
Step 3:
Add in sorting challenges - match socks, group by colour, or arrange by size.
Step 4:
Invite role-play by pretending it’s "laundry day." (or let them parallel play beside you whren it actually is!)
Step 5:
Let them explore freely with pegging, sorting, and filling baskets.
Extend
Sock Match: Mix up socks and let kids find and peg matching pairs.
Colour Sort: Sort pegs or fabrics by colour before hanging them up.
Pattern Play: Hang items in repeating patterns (e.g. red-blue-red-blue)
Delivery Service: Add a basket for transporting “dirty” socks to the washing line.
Role Play: Pretend play as a family laundry helper, complete with sorting and folding.
