Fastening Safety Pins

The Montessori Fastening Frame – Safety Pin is part of the Practical Life curriculum, designed to teach children how to open and close safety pins independently and safely. This frame helps children develop essential self-care skills, preparing them for everyday dressing tasks in real-life situations.

The frame features two flaps of durable fabric secured to a wooden frame, connected by a series of child-sized safety pins. The pins are sized appropriately to ensure ease of use while offering just the right amount of challenge. It allows children to practice fine motor control, concentration, and patience while learning how to handle safety pins with care and confidence.

This material is ideal for use in Montessori classrooms and home learning environments where life skills and independence are key learning outcomes.

Material Used:
Crafted from a sturdy Beechoowd wooden frame with durable cotton fabric panels and rust-resistant metal safety pins. All materials are securely attached and designed with child safety in mind. Cotton fabric can be removed, washed and refixed.

Educational Benefits:

• Builds fine motor strength and coordination through pinching and fastening motions

• Encourages independence and self-confidence in daily dressing activities

• Improves focus, concentration, and problem-solving skills

• Teaches careful handling and safety awareness while working with real tools

• Lays the foundation for practical life skills and hand dexterity needed for writing

How do you help your toddler learn to button their shirts or tie their shoes? How did Dr. Montessori, Italian’s first female physician and educator, and founder of the Montessori Method, do it? In the Montessori method, Dr. Montessori created a series of dressing frames, which she called the fastening games for children to practice practical life skills. Through the use of such Material, the children can practically analyse the movements necessary in dressing and undressing themselves, and can prepare themselves separately for these movements by means of repeated exercise. Thus, parents or teachers can succeed in teaching the child to dress himself without his really being aware of it, that is, without any direct or arbitrary command he is lead to his mastery. Provoking children’s auto-education is a huge part in the Montessori education and the difference from common parents” and others” practices which give direct commands or do the movements for the children.