There’s something so satisfying about pounding pegs into a pumpkin!  Channel your child’s desire to hit or pound something with this Pumpkin Bash activity.  Using a wooden mallet to pound push-pins or golf tees into a pumpkin provides practice for fine motor skills and eye hand coordination. Picking up the push-pins or golf tees promotes a pincer grasp and overall hand and finger dexterity.

Pro Tip: Pay attention to how your child grasping the push-pins by making sure that thumb and index finger OR thumb/index/middle finger are “pinching”  and the other fingers are tucked into the palm (ring and pinky fingers should not be flaring out).  Check out the video below to see examples of a proper grasp.

Another perk to this pumpkin activity is the fact that it takes some strength and resistance to pound the items in.  The rhythmical, repetitive nature of pounding with the mallet provides proprioceptive input which is “deep pressure input” to the arm and shoulder muscles.  This type of sensory input is helpful for body awareness and can be a calming activity to help keep your child focused and entertained.

Get out your aggression and get creative!   Enrich this activity by make designs or a face on your pumpkin, sort and talk about the colors, count the number of push-pins or golf tees.

Pro Tip:  Be sure to keep the push-pins and golf tees organized in a container and check the area afterwards to avoid stepping on any!