Stickers elicit a pincer grasp and ulnar-radial separation when they’re peeled off of a sticker sheet. When sticking it to a surface, kids can practice eye-hand coordination and ulnar-radial dissociation, controlling the sticker with the thumb and index finger while stabilizing it with a pinky finger.

These skills are essential for writing and drawing!

Start with Large Stickers on a roll because they are the easiest to grasp then progress to Large Stickers on a sheet with simple shapes such as a circle or square.

Here are some fun sticker games to try:

1. Decorate a picture frame: Peel and stick stickers in a foam picture frame to make a birthday gift or Mother's/father's Day present.

2. Apples on the tree: Use basic round stickers such as apples and oranges and place them on a drawing of a tree.

3. Tic Tac Toe: Draw a tic tac toe board on a piece of paper and hang it on the wall. Take turns placing your sticker in a square to play tic tac toe. Placing a sticker or drawing on a vertical surface causes the wrist to extend, placing the arm and hand at a biomechanical advantage for fine motor control.

4. Find the stickers (on your body): Dressing requires body awareness and range of motion. Hide ten stickers on different parts of your child’s body and ask them to find all ten. Start with stickers placed where they can see and increase the challenge by placing stickers in less visible and harder-to-reach spots such as the bottom of the feet or back.

5. Balloon Faces: To practice bilateral coordination, blow up a balloon and decorate it with eyes, nose, and mouth stickers. The child must stabilize the balloon with the non-dominant hand to prevent it from moving.