Pegging Clock-Face Numbers

My daughter is 3-years-old now and all about fine-motor activities.  Since my daughter loved the Clothespin Color Matching activity, I thought pegging would be a great hands-on way to learn about the clock in Chinese!  After I put the kids to bed, I set up this clock-face number pegging activity to reinforce numerical order and telling time.  Painting the circles was actually pretty peaceful after a hectic day!  I also learned that painting with cotton balls leaves a smooth finish compared to paint brushes!

My daughter had a lot of fun playing and learning and I definitely will create more activities with clothespins!  I’m so glad I bought clothespins in bulk!  Next time, I’ll save the painting for her as I know she would really enjoy that too!

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What you need to make the Clock-Face Number Pegging Activity:

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1. Clothespins
2. Cardboard
3. Circle stencil (I used the lid of an oatmeal container)
4. Sharpie marker
5. Paint (optional)

What to do:

1. Trace and cut cardboard circle (I used the lid of an oatmeal container)
2. Paint cardboard – This is not necessary if you don’t have time but I painted them red and yellow so that they stood out and my daughter was curious about them.  Also, she thought they looked like suns!
3. Write numbers 1-12 on cardboard.  Tip:  For symmetry, first write numbers 三 (sān / 3)，六 (liù / 6)，九 (jiǔ / 9)，十二 (shí’èr / 12).  Then fill in the other numbers.
4. Write on pegs with Sharpie
5. Match peg to corresponding number

You can even take this activity outside!  My daughter likes to pretend that our backyard playhouse is a school, and here she is demonstrating the activity to me, her pretend student! 🙂

Also check out this video, where a mom teachers her daughter about the clock in Mandarin Chinese.

If you try this Clock-Face Number Pegging activity, please let us know!  Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag a photo #ChalkAcademy on Instagram and Facebook. 

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