TinyStepper
Child shaping teal playdough at a table with colourful dough balls and cookie cutters

Sticker Peeling Station

Peel stickers from sheets and stick them onto paper to create pictures.

Activity details

18m–3y12 minslowindoorConstruction PaperStickers

Instructions

Get ready
  • Gather sheets of large, easy-to-peel stickers
  • Provide sheets of construction paper as the canvas
  1. Gather sheets of large, easy-to-peel stickers
  2. Provide sheets of construction paper as the canvas
  3. Peel a corner of each sticker slightly to give them a starting edge
  4. Show your child how to pinch and peel the sticker off
  5. Let them place stickers anywhere they like on the paper
  6. Narrate what they create: 'You put the star at the top!'
  7. For older toddlers, draw shapes or outlines to fill with stickers
  8. Display their finished sticker art proudly

Parent tip

Set out construction paper and stickers before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Proud child holding up a painted sheet covered in bright handprints and splatters

What success looks like

Messy hands and a child who doesn’t want to stop. The artwork doesn’t need to look like anything — the process is the point.

Peeling a sticker from its backing is a surprisingly complex fine motor task requiring a precise pincer grip, bilateral coordination, and finger strength. Placing stickers on paper introduces spatial planning and creative decision-making. This low-mess activity holds attention for extended periods and builds the dexterity that is a prerequisite for holding a pencil.

Why it helps

Peeling a sticker from its backing requires a precise pincer grip, bilateral coordination, and finger strength — all prerequisites for holding a pencil. Placing stickers on paper introduces spatial planning and creative decision-making in a low-pressure format. The EYFS framework puts hands-on exploration at the heart of physical development — these small, focused movements are the building blocks of hand control.

Variations

  • Draw outlines of shapes on the paper and challenge your toddler to fill them with stickers.
  • Use dot stickers along a drawn line to practise following a path.
  • Decorate a paper plate face using sticker eyes, nose, and mouth.

Safety tips

  • Choose stickers large enough not to be a choking hazard.
  • Watch that sticker backing paper is not put in the mouth.
  • Use non-toxic stickers in case they end up on skin or clothes.

Want to try another?

Pasta Threading

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