Teaching Tip – Clothespins and Binder Rings

Clothespins and binder rings are quite handy to have around the classroom. They are relatively inexpensive and can be used throughout the entire school year without having to replace them.

Here’s a way to assign your students to reading centres for the day.

All you need to do is write the name of a student on a clothespin. Once you’ve done this for the entire class, you have an easy way of keeping track of quite a few things.

I love how easy a system this is. The clothespins can be rotated each day so the students can be cycled through all the centres during the week. It is easy for them to see where they have to go and what needs to be done.

I also like the use of binder clips here. What an ingenious way to maximize the space in the classroom and keep everything organized.

Here’s another idea I found on PreKinders

You can use clothespins in a Kindergarten classroom because the students require fine motor skill practice. I like this letter matching activity and can think of a few ways that it could be adapted for other activities.

Let’s get back to binder clips.

With a deck of index cards, a whole punch, and a simple binder clip, you can make a portable study device. Your students can take home sight words, spelling lists, and vocabulary words to practise at their leisure.

Do you have any creative ways to use clothespins and binder clips? 

Please leave a comment below.

More Teaching Tips

• Teaching Tip Tuesday Archive (over 100 tips, tricks, lessons, and resources)
• Student Numbers (one of my favourite organizational tips)
• 3 Choices You Always Have (conflict resolution)