How do I run a clothespin-people craft activity?
Quick answer: Give each child two flat wooden clothespins: one to dress from an outfit card and one to decorate however they like. Before the party, sort the face, hair and outfit supplies and get the faces ready for the youngest children. Children decorate first. Once the figures are dry enough to handle, they stand them on a cardboard street, play a short story game and move them into a dollhouse made from boxes. At the end, pack each child's figures in their own labeled bag. For eight children, the example below takes 45 minutes.
13 outfit cards to print or write out
Print the cards or copy each outfit onto an index card. Shuffle and deal one per guest; the picker can suggest an outfit, but it does not deal a deck without repeats.
Draw one when the room is ready
Soccer player — one washi team sock pulled to the knee, a bottle-cap ball at the feet
Outfits for clothespin characters
Each card gives a starting idea. Guests can change the outfit or make up their own character.
- Soccer player — one washi team sock pulled to the knee, a bottle-cap ball at the feet
- Astronaut — a foil chest plate, a paper helmet ring around the head
- Chef — a paper toque, a felt apron, a paper spoon tucked at the side
- Superhero — a felt cape, a paper mask strip, a yarn emblem on the chest
- Mermaid — foil scales overlapping from waist to tail-tip, one yarn braid
- Rock star — a foil microphone, washi wristbands, spiky paper hair
- Wizard — a star-covered paper robe, a card-stock hat cone, a yarn beard
- Veterinarian — a white coat rectangle, a felt puppy tucked at the arm line, one bandage dot
- Ballet dancer — a coffee-filter tutu, a ribbon hair bun, marker slippers
- Construction worker — a paper hard hat, an orange vest strip, a bottle-cap toolbox
- Storyteller — a tiny button book taped open, drawn-on reading glasses
- Dragon keeper — foil-dot scale sleeves, a mini-pin dragon on a yarn leash
- Night guard — a paper-cone flashlight, a felt raccoon sidekick, one reflective washi stripe
How the clothespin-people activity works
Each child turns two flat wooden clothespins into small characters. They draw a face, add yarn or paper hair, and dress the figure with felt, paper and washi tape. One figure follows an outfit card, such as an astronaut, wizard or veterinarian. The other is a character the child invents.
After decorating, the activity becomes play. The figures stand on a cardboard street for a quick story game, then move into a dollhouse built from shipping boxes. The play needs no batteries or electronics, and the finished figures can be the take-home gift.
The plan below is for eight children, with tables of four and one adult helping at each table. If you can't provide that much help, invite fewer children or offer fewer materials. Children who would rather work at their own pace can use the same supplies without a card or timer and keep decorating while others play the story game.
Should the birthday child and siblings count as guests?
Quick answer: Yes, if they will be making figures. Count every child who will craft, including the birthday child and any siblings, then add your spares.
The supply counts on this page are for children making figures, not for every person at the party. If the birthday child and a sibling are both crafting at a party for eight children, eight is your total, so don't add them a second time. If they're joining in addition to eight invited friends, plan for ten. Adults who are staying only need supplies if they're making figures too.
Supplies and how many clothespins to buy
Use classic flat wooden clothespins with rounded heads and split legs, not spring clips. The main figures use 3.5-inch pins. The optional pet sidekicks use 2.25-inch mini pins.
Example for eight children: 8 children × 2 pins = 16 main figures. Add 4 spares, for a total of 20 full-size pins. If you're offering sidekicks, add 8 mini pins, one per child. For a different number of children, start with two full-size pins and one optional mini per child, then decide how many spares you want. Check that you have enough seats and table space too.
- 20 flat wooden clothespins, 3.5 inches long, plus 8 optional 2.25-inch minis (for eight children)
- Fine-tip markers in at least four skin tones (peach, tan, brown and deep brown), plus two black markers. Add paint pens if older children will use them.
- Yarn in six colors, cut into 6-inch lengths and kept together in one sandwich bag; paper strips for curls and felt pieces for buns
- One gallon bag of felt scraps, two rolls of washi tape, four glue sticks, and glue dots for details that need them
- Coffee filters, foil, cardstock, paper, ribbon, buttons and bottle caps for the outfits and props you offer
- 13 index cards if you're writing out the outfit cards, plus 6 cards for story scenarios
- Cardboard for the street (start with one 12-by-4-inch base and test it)
- Two shipping boxes, masking tape, four matchboxes for shared beds, cardboard bed bases and fabric scraps for rugs
- A drying rack or a clear spot to leave figures, plus paper street signs, markers and labeled gallon bags for going home
How many clothespin people should each guest make?
Quick answer: Two full-size figures per child: one from an outfit card and one of their own design. A pet sidekick made from a mini pin is optional.
Prepare two full-size pins per child. For eight children, 20 pins gives you the 16 main figures plus four spares. The eight optional mini pins are separate, for one pet sidekick each.
Limit sidekicks to one per child so the main figures still get finished. If a child finishes early, have them make a street sign with their name and their character's imaginary address instead of starting another project that uses lots of supplies.
Children who finish their sign can draw quietly with paper and crayons rather than starting a new project. Our craft party ideas page suggests one main project plus a quiet option like drawing or stickers.
Set up the craft table and get faces ready
Do the cutting and sorting before guests arrive. Put the face and hair supplies at the adult's end of each table, with the outfit materials after them. The adult can look after the paint pens, the glue dots and card trades while children decide how to dress their figures.
Before guests arrive, make one figure start to finish so you know how long the faces take to dry and how it packs. Organizing a craft station for a children's party also explains telling families if anything needs finishing at home.
If parents want a job, ask them to refill yarn, sort scraps or label bags.
Before handing out jobs, agree with staying parents who supervises and who just helps with tasks. Our guide to agreeing on parents' roles also covers telling families whether parents need to stay.
- Count two full-size pins per child and put the spares aside.
- Draw any faces you want ready for younger children.
- Cut yarn into 6-inch lengths and make paper helmet rings for children under six.
- Shuffle the outfit cards and keep them face-down until everyone is ready.
- Cut and test the cardboard street, then keep it covered until the figures are ready.
- Set up the two-box dollhouse with masking-tape room lines and four shared matchbox beds.
- Label the take-home bags and set up a table by the door for finished figures and street signs.
What age can draw faces without help?
Quick answer: Use age as a starting point, not a rule. Draw faces ahead of time for 3- and 4-year-olds, offer fine-tip markers with help to 5- to 7-year-olds, and consider paint pens with an adult nearby for ages 8 and up.
Drawing faces for 3- and 4-year-olds in advance lets them start straight away with hair and clothes. Children aged 5 to 7 who want to draw their own faces can use fine-tip markers, with help if they need it. From age 8, paint pens are an option if they suit your materials and guests. Keep an adult available to help.
These are suggestions for preparing, not age limits. Decide what each child can comfortably do rather than going by age alone.
How should I offer the skin-tone markers?
Quick answer: Put at least four skin tones together in one shared cup and let each child choose any shade or leave the wood uncolored.
Keeping all the skin-tone markers in one cup means every child chooses from the same supplies. Leaving the wood bare is also a choice; it doesn't need its own marker. Keep the yarn colors, paper curls and felt buns together nearby so children choose hair separately. Don't assign a skin tone or hairstyle to anyone.
Hand out outfit cards and show how to dress a figure
Print the 13 outfit cards or write each one on an index card. Shuffle them face-down and deal one to each child before opening the outfit supplies. Let children make one trade without giving a reason, then put the remaining cards aside. A child can also skip the cards and invent their own character. If you want each child to get a different outfit, use the printed or handwritten cards rather than a random picker.
Show the order of work: face, then hair, then clothes and props. Show how a felt rectangle becomes an apron or cape and how washi strips become socks, wristbands or a vest. Keep your sample simple so children can see what attaches where without feeling they have to copy it.
Example outfit ideas from the cards include a foil chest plate and paper helmet ring for an astronaut, a star-covered robe and cone hat for a wizard, or a white coat and felt puppy for a veterinarian. A paper toque is a chef's tall hat. For a ballet dancer, cut a coffee filter in half, pinch it around the waist and attach it as a tutu, so one filter dresses two dancers. Tear a few washi strips before the party to show how they wrap around the pin. Mini pins can become cats, dogs or dragons. Children can change any of these details.
Stand the figures on a cardboard street and play the story game
Before the party, cut a 12-by-4-inch cardboard base with 1-inch slits every 2 inches. Test it with your actual pins by slotting their split legs into the slits, and check that the figures stand without crowding. How many fit depends on your pins, cardboard and costumes, so make extra bases if one won't hold the whole group.
Once the figures are dry enough to handle, uncover the street and let the children add their figures and address signs. If you want a group photo, take it now while the figures are still lined up together.
For the story game, draw one scenario card per round. Go around the table and invite each child to say one sentence about what their character does next. Children can pass, and one character per child is enough for the timed version. Children can still touch their figures or keep decorating; the street just holds the figures while everyone talks.
- The ice-cream truck has broken down on your street. What does your character do?
- A comet has landed in an empty garden. What does your character notice?
- A new neighbor has moved in. How does your character welcome them?
- The street is holding a dance. What does your character bring or perform?
- A pet dragon has lost its way. How does your character help?
- Everyone is preparing a parade. What does your character add?
How long does the story game take?
Quick answer: The example uses two 90-second rounds, or three minutes of speaking altogether, plus time to explain the game and arrange the figures.
Ask for one sentence per child in each round, and let children pass. If the group needs longer to speak, extend the time or play without a timer rather than rushing anyone. Set used scenario cards aside until both rounds are done. If you play again later, choose a different scenario, and retire each card after it has been used twice.
For a different storytelling round, a fill-in-the-blank story game is led by one reader collecting words from the group. It has its own rules and needs a blank copy kept if you want to play again.
Example: a 45-minute session for eight children
This is an example schedule for the craft station only, not a full party with arrivals, food and cake. Plan the food break separately. Make a sample figure beforehand and adjust the building or drying time for your materials. The times below add up to 45 minutes.
| Time | Step | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Deal outfit cards, allow one trade and show a simple figure | 5 minutes |
| 0:05–0:25 | Draw faces and dress both figures; offer sidekicks if there's time | 20 minutes |
| 0:25–0:28 | Leave figures at the drying area while children write street signs | 3 minutes |
| 0:28–0:30 | Stand figures on the street, add signs, take an optional photo | 2 minutes |
| 0:30–0:33 | Two 90-second story rounds | 3 minutes |
| 0:33–0:45 | Dollhouse play, clear scraps, move finished figures into their labeled bags | 12 minutes |
Keep the dollhouse open and pack the figures to go home
Stack or arrange two shipping boxes as a two-story house and mark rooms with masking-tape floor lines. Add the four shared matchbox beds on cardboard bases, fabric-scrap rugs and bottle-cap lamps. Keep it open for early finishers, for children who would rather play than join the story rounds, and until pickup if that's later. Leave a spot nearby for figures that still need drying time.
Three minutes at the drying area is only a planning estimate. Follow the instructions for your paint pens and glue, and check each figure before handling it, because drying time depends on the products and how much a child uses.
How should I pack the figures for the ride home?
Quick answer: First check that the paint and glue are dry enough to handle. Then put each child's figures and street sign in their labeled gallon bag.
Keep long props close to the figure, and use a washi loop to hold them in place if that helps. Don't count on the loop to protect wet or fragile details, which may need more drying time or different packing. Keep the street sign where you can see it so each set of figures goes home with the right child. The figures can be the take-home gift, so you don't need a separate favor bag.
Protective packing for the figures isn't the same as a favor bag. If the figures are the gift, you can skip shopping and packing separate favors. See hosting a birthday without favor bags.
Final checklist before the party
- Count every child who will be crafting, including the birthday child and siblings who will join
- Buy two full-size pins per child plus spares, and minis if you're offering sidekicks
- Have an adult for each table of four, or simplify the activity
- Prepare faces for the youngest children; put skin-tone markers in one shared cup
- Print or write out the outfit and scenario cards
- Test the cardboard street with your actual pins
- Read the drying instructions for your paint pens and glue, and set up a drying spot
- Label the take-home bags and set up a table by the door
| Supply or preparation job | Amount needed | Who will prepare it? | Ready? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-size and mini pins | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| Face markers and prepared faces | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| Yarn, felt and outfit supplies | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| Outfit and story cards | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| Tested cardboard street bases | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| Boxes and four shared beds | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| Bags and street signs | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
| ____________________ | __________ | ____________________ | __________ |
Party date: ____________________ Guests making figures: __________
Full-size pins, two per guest: __________ Spare pins: __________
Optional mini pins: __________ Tables: __________ Adult helpers: __________
Paint or adhesive instructions to allow for: ____________________________________
Place for drying figures: ____________________________________________________
Craft start time: __________ Food break: __________ Pickup time: __________
Other notes: _______________________________________________________________