Cutting to the stickers
Cutting stickers on a line or shape can be a huge motivator for a kid who’s already bored of trying to cut to a highlighted dot . Especially, if you’ve got some really cool stickers. This is a great activity for both kids just starting to cut or those trying to improve their cutting skills.
Cutting around stickers
For other kids, trying to cut on a line in order to prevent cutting a sticker can be a huge motivator. Grab yourself some of these emoji stickers and your kids will go wild. This is also a great activity that can be shared with you teachers as an RTI/MTSS strategy
Place a sticker where the student places their thumb when cutting
For those kids who can use the scissors, but struggle to manipulate the paper with their non-dominant hand or try to hold the paper with their thumb down, place a sticker where the child should put their thumb while cutting.
Connecting the stickers
Just like you can cut from one sticker to another, you can also have your student connect the dots with their favorite color writing utensil. Add some letter or number stickers to add an academic flare to it.
Sticker chart/card
When used with fidelity, a sticker chart in the classroom can have great benefits. However, since the students often come to me, I have them carry a sticker card. Every time they come to therapy and complete an agreed upon task, they earn a sticker. Be sure to follow up with the agreed upon reward when they get all their stickers.
Spelling words
Another great activity to introduce to your teachers and kids. Building spelling words with stickers not only makes the task more fun, but also provides a fine motor skill building opportunity.
Typing
There are a few ways stickers can be used to promote typing skills. One way is to cover up the letters on the keyboard with stickers. That way, the kids have to rely on remembering where the letter should be and what finger to use. The other way is to code the keys with stickers that identify which finger to use. For example, keys, y, h, n, m, j, and u may have red stickers signalling that my right index finger is to be used. You can find stickers specifically for this use on amazon.
Spacing words
Does your student have difficulty understanding the abstract idea of a space in between words? Let them add a sticker in between each word until they are able to space without them. You can also have them write a few words or even a sentence and then see if a sticker will fit in between each word.
Place the sticker on the _____________!
The simple act of peeling and placing a sticker on a pre-determined spot, whatever the spot may be, is a great fine motor and visual motor integration activity. Incorporate body parts, classroom tools and multiple steps to work on a variety of different goals.
Starting dot for letters
Just like us adults need a little help to get started on a new goal, so do our students. Stickers as starting dots for their letters help them to develop a top-to-bottom, left-to-right approach. Be careful with some of your “Magic C” letters though. There’s more than one way to start a circle at the top.
Finger twister
Check this out! One of my favorite games from childhood now comes in finger size. Great for small groups, this game will help your kids to build manual dexterity skills along with gamesmanship and body awareness skills. Purchase it HERE,
Or you can use a few different stickers, like I did over here --------------> and save yourself a few bucks.
So, grab some stickers and go have some fun with your kids. They’ll love the fun and you’ll love the progress they make.
What are some of your favorite therapy treatments involving stickers? We’d love to hear about them!