Plain or puffy, velvety or glittery, there’s just something about stickers. Though I have yet to see the sticker album craze of the 80s return, stickers are a perennial favorite among kids. Get an A+ on a spelling test? Great! Get a sticker beside that A+? Kids will jump through the wall with excitement. Older kids aren’t immune to the draw of stickers, either. Give a sixth grader a sticker on his paper, and he’s likely to pull it off and stick it on his face/hand/knee to show it off. Think I’m wrong? Look at the assortment of stickers in any crafts store and you’ll see how the appeal of stickers cuts across the ages. Those vinyl wall clings that are currently popular for use in children’s bedrooms? Glorified stickers.
Beyond reinforcement for a job well done, stickers can also be used for fun learning activities:
- Peeling and sticking stickers on paper can help promote hand-eye coordination.
- Stickers can be sorted according to properties like size, shape, and color.
- Stickers are inexpensive materials to use to make counting, memory, or matching games, or number books.
- Alphabet stickers are a fun way to practice reading and spelling words.
- Stickers remain the go-to favorite for potty training, behavior, or chore charts.
Stickers seem safe, but remember that small children do need adult supervision. Kids have been known to eat stickers, and most parents want to avoid scraping stickers off the furniture, car, refrigerator, or important business proposal. Regardless, stickers are a fun and inexpensive addition to any diaper bag or crafting stash to keep kids happy and entertained for hours.