When I need an activity that is quick, easy and sure to be a winner, I always reach for: the sticker. My kids love stickers! They some how have this magic power to turn crazy kids into calm ones, and a bored child into an engaged one. There is just so much you can do with them!
For this quick sticker match activity, I created one set up for my 4 year old and another for my 2 year old, so they could both play. It is so simple, you could set it up in a minute or two! Here is what you will need:
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Materials
- White Paper Roll
- Stickers (not the stickers I used, but a great variety for any kid!)
- Marker
That’s it! Super simple, I told you!
Related: Check out this fun way to use stickers and those left over Amazon boxes that will occupy your kids for hours to come!
How To
Lets walk through how to set this quick and easy activity up:
- Cut off a section of paper as small or large as you would like (you’ll want it to be at least as large as a piece of paper, larger if you have big stickers or are setting up for multiple kiddos)
- Draw a tall table with 2 columns and as many rows as stickers you have to match (see the photo below for clarification)
- Place a sticker in each row in the first column
- Provide your kiddos with the matching stickers and allow them to make a match in the second column
Let The Magic Happen
I just love watching my kiddos engage in an activity like this. They are always so focused! Stickers just have this power to make any activity fun and relaxed.
It was really fun to see the difference in my 2 and 4 year old’s approach to their matches. My 4 year old started at the bottom of the column that I created and scanned his sticker page until he found the sticker that matched mine. He spent worked his way up, in order!
Whereas, my 2 year old picked off a sticker that he liked, talked to me about it, attempted to stick it on the page wherever he wanted (haha, gotta love this age!) and then found the match with some gentle nudges.
But, that is where we should be. My 2 year old should be mostly playing and exploring in a way that interests him. And my 4 year old should be able to follow simple instructions to complete a specific task.
And that is the beautiful thing about this activity. You can set your expectations to be whatever they need to be for each individual kiddo. One can have structure while another has a sticker sheet with free reign and that is perfectly OK!
Related: Looking for an easy way to play with the alphabet? Check this one out!
Make it Personal
The main focus for my 2 year old is on fine motor skills. I am more impressed with how he peels each sticker off, than I am with where he places it on the paper. Truly, I created a table for him so he would feel big like his brother. I knew he wasn’t going to really follow the activity as it was intended.
I just wanted him to slow down, and practice using those pinchers in a focused fashion!
Whereas, my 4 year old has already mastered the sticker peel. So the focus was more academic for him: Matching!
Does he understand what a match is? It might not be the alphabet or counting to 100, but matching is an extremely important skill for kids to master. So this activity challenged his ability to make a match.
You can make this sticker match whatever it needs to be for your family. So get stickering and enjoy a minute to yourself!
Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend. I love sharing my ideas and activities with you. If you’d like to see more, you can follow us on Pinterest and see what we are up to on Instagram.
Looking for other ways to challenge those fine motor skills? Check out this one that will also get the toys off of the floor!
