What kid doesn’t love stickers? And what better way to use up some of your stickers than with some sticker crafts for kids?
With just a few basic supplies, your little artist can create process-driven creative art, building a wide array of critical skills along the way.
- Looking for other ways to engage kids with process art? Check out how to create endless painting ideas for kids!
We are here to share all our favorite sticker craft ideas, plus tips and trick for sticker success. So, let’s dive in!
In this post:
- Why Sticker Crafts?
- Easy and Fun Sticker Craft Ideas for Kids
- Top Tips for Sticker Crafts
- How to Remove Stickers
- FAQS
- Final Thoughts
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Why Sticker Crafts?
Sticker crafts are not just about the end product. It’s a process that facilitates a plethora of developmental benefits for kids.
Fine Motor Skills
Peeling and sticking stickers on different surfaces improves dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Kids are working on the pincher grasp, which is needed for writing.
Creativity
Kids can let their imaginations run wild, combining different sticker shapes, colors, and textures.
Cognitive Development
Sorting stickers by size, color, or type and planning where to place them enhances decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Focus and Patience
Completing a sticker craft project requires concentration and patience, attributes that are essential throughout life. All too often, kids are over-directed by adults and need more time to just create!
Easy and Fun Sticker Craft Ideas for Kids
Here are all our favorite ways to present stickers to kids.
We like to focus on process-driven projects that are never designed to look one single way. Instead, kids can engage with the supplies and create how they want.
1. Sticker Collage
Let’s start with something simple and classic – a sticker collage. All you need is a large piece of paper or cardboard and an assortment of stickers. Children can arrange stickers as they wish, creating intricate designs or telling a story.
We have also seen two-year-olds simply stick one sticker on top of another until they used them all up, and that’s just fine too!
The folks over at The Artful Parent have a fun and simple collage idea using geometric shape stickers.
2. DIY Sticker Storybook
Encourage literacy skills by creating a DIY storybook using stickers. Your child can create characters, settings, and plots using stickers, then tell the story in their own words. Take the time to record stories for little ones too young to write them out themselves!
This activity works well with a mix of animal, people, character, and object stickers (i.e., more than just dot labels). We love using all the leftover stickers from activity books. The varied types serve as great inspiration.
This craft not only boosts creativity but also improves language skills. We love calling attention to the ways that play activities combine learning and fun!
3. Sticker Resist Art
This fun idea from What Do We Do All Day is simple and allows for lots of creativity.
Materials needed for this project include stickers, cardstock or canvas, and paint. Allow your child to place stickers on the cardstock or canvas to create a design or pattern. After they’ve placed the stickers, they can paint over the entire piece.
Once the paint dries, remove the stickers to reveal a striking image with a cool contrast against the painted background.
4. Sticker-Studded Crown
This is a wonderful craft for kids who love playing dress-up. You’ll need some cardstock or construction paper, stickers, and some basic craft supplies like a stapler or tape. Have your kids decorate paper strips with stickers, then help them form and secure their cute crowns.
It’s a simple craft that can result in hours of imaginative play!
5. Decorate Objects with Stickers
Let your child personalize their stuff. They can adorn their pencil box, notebook covers, water bottles, or even furniture (with your permission, of course) with a variety of stickers. Not only will they enjoy doing it, but it will also give them a sense of ownership.
Giant packs of water bottle stickers are extra cheap and work great for this!
6. Sticker I-Spy Game
This sticker I-Spy from Left Brain Craft Brain is super fun and easy to create!
Simply go through your stickers to find matching pairs. Next, have your child help you place one of the stickers from each pair on a small notecard and the other on a piece of paper. Do this until the paper is filled.
To play, draw a card and look for the matching sticker on the paper.
7. Decorate Homemade Greeting Cards
Let your child add a personal touch to birthday cards, thank you cards, or holiday greetings with sticker decorations. All you need is some blank cardstock, stickers, and a bit of creativity. This can also teach kids the value of giving something handmade.
8. Sticker Bookmark
Encourage reading by creating a sticker bookmark. All you need is a piece of cardstock or a popsicle stick and some stickers to decorate it. Once the bookmark is decorated, you can laminate it to make it more durable.
9. Decorate Plain Picture Frames
Purchase plain wooden picture frames and let your kids decorate them with stickers. This not only allows kids to get creative, but it also provides them with a great functional item that they can use to display their favorite photos or their own artwork.
10. Sticker Jar or Treasure Box Decor
Kids love the novelty of placing stickers on a 3D object instead of just on paper.
You can find a plain wooden or cardboard box at the craft store and save glass jars from the kitchen. Let your children decorate with their favorite stickers to create their very own treasure box or pencil jar.
These become special places for keeping pencils, markers, and other little treasures like rocks, shells, or special trinkets.
11. Foam Sticker Craft Painting
Use up those foam stickers you have lying around from craft kits with this fun sticker idea from Still Playing School. We love that the stickers are used for the creation process instead of being featured in the final design!
Simply place foam stickers on a small rolling pin and make prints by rolling it through paint.
Kids enjoy both sticking the stickers and painting.
12. Dot Sticker Drawings
We love this sticker idea from Simple Everyday Mom: dot stickers are placed onto paper and incorporated into doodles. Kids can turn them into fun characters, animals, or anything they can dream up.
All you need are dot labels, paper, and some pens.
13. Drawing Prompts With Stickers
Create a stack of rainy-day drawing prompts for your kids with just a few pieces of paper and some stickers. Simply place two to three stickers on a piece of paper to inspire your kiddo.
Maybe add two flowers to one sheet, three eyes to another, and a cat and some dots to another. These help get kids started while still allowing for lots of creativity!
Top Tips for Sticker Crafts
• Let kids use the stickers as they would like!
Setting out stickers and other supplies to get kids creating is fine. But once supplies are out, step back and let kids do whatever they would like! There is no right or wrong way to create. Kids are creative and curious enough without us, and sometimes they just want to see what happens when they place all the stickers in the same spot on the paper.
As adults, it’s hard for us not to focus on the end product, which often manifests with us stepping in and directing kids. But the cute crafty thing we want our kids to create often limits their creativity. If this is you, moving to a different space while kids are creating might be helpful.
Remember: it’s about the process, not the product!
• Set boundaries around where kids can stick stickers.
It is never fun to end up with a bunch of stickers stuck to the walls and furniture. When placing out the stickers, let kids know where they can stick the stickers and what will happen if they use the stickers anywhere else.
You can say something like, “We have out the stickers! You may stick them on these pieces of paper or this cardboard. If you stick them anywhere else, we will have to put the stickers away for today.”
• Use tape instead of stickers with babies and toddlers.
Worried about your toddler getting stickers stuck to all your furniture? Use blue painters tape instead! We love a good old-fashioned roll of tape and often give it as a gift to young kids! Babies and toddlers love sticking it on paper, walls, and themselves, and it all peels right off when they are done.
Pre-rip small pieces of tape and stick them along the edge of a table for kids to use as they would like.
• Use dot labels.
Kids love when they can use as many stickers as they would like, and dot labels make this possible! They are cheap, come in many colors, and are just as fun as expensive kid stickers. We often find giant packs of dot labels at the thrift store for just a few dollars.
• Peel the backing and fold the sheet to help kids use stickers.
If your child struggles to peel stickers, it can help to peel the backing off from around the stickers. You can also fold the sheet so that stickers are sticking up halfway. This gives kids something to pinch onto and makes it much more manageable.
- Creativity extends to more than just art supplies! Check out all our favorite sets of blocks for kids.
How to Remove Stickers
Stickers are fun until they end up on your furniture. If your child’s creativity has extended to your furniture, don’t worry. Here’s a how to remove those stubborn stickers without damaging your furniture:
1. Scrape Gently
Start by peeling off as much of the sticker as possible. Use your fingernail or a plastic scraper. Be gentle to avoid scratching the surface. Do not use metal objects, as they can damage the furniture.
2. Apply Heat
A hairdryer can be your best ally if the sticker is particularly stubborn. Set the hairdryer to a medium or high setting and hold it a few inches away from the sticker. The heat will loosen the adhesive, making it easier to peel off.
Remember to handle the hairdryer carefully to avoid overheating the furniture.
3. Use an Adhesive Remover
If sticker residue is still left, you can use an adhesive remover such as Goo Gone. Follow the package instructions and test it on an inconspicuous area first to ensure it won’t discolor or damage the furniture.
4. DIY Adhesive Removers
You can also make use of everyday household items to remove sticker residue.
Vinegar: Dampen a cloth with vinegar and lay it over the residue. Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub off the residue.
Baking Soda and Oil: Make a paste of equal parts baking soda and cooking oil, apply it to the residue, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub off.
Rubbing Alcohol: Apply some rubbing alcohol to a cloth and rub it on the residue. It can be very effective, but test it on an inconspicuous area first, as it can sometimes discolor certain finishes.
5. Clean and Dry
Once the sticker and residue are completely removed, clean the area with mild soap and warm water, then dry it thoroughly.
And voila! Your furniture should now be sticker-free. To prevent future mishaps, it’s a good idea to set clear rules about where stickers can and can’t be placed. After all, sticker crafts are meant to be a source of joy and creativity, not a cleaning challenge!
FAQS
1. At what age can my child start doing sticker crafts?
Children can start engaging in sticker crafts as soon as they develop the necessary fine motor skills to peel and stick them, which is typically around age 2 or 3.
Stickers can be used by even younger toddlers if you pre-peel stickers or pieces of tape and place them along the edge of a table. However, always supervise young children during craft time to prevent them from accidentally ingesting stickers or small craft materials.
2. What type of stickers are best for crafting?
It really depends on the craft. For younger children, larger stickers with easy-to-peel backs are ideal. Older children might enjoy more detailed stickers or even those with texture or 3D elements. Ultimately, the best stickers for crafting are ones that your child will enjoy using.
We love using dot labels in various sizes and all the random stickers left over from activity books. Any stickers will work for most projects!
3. Where can I buy stickers for crafting?
Craft stores, online, and even dollar stores typically have a wide variety of stickers available. We’ve also had good luck with finding stickers at the thrift store. You can find stickers in all shapes, sizes, and themes, from animals and plants to letters and numbers and everything in between.
4. My child has a hard time peeling stickers. How can I help?
If your child is struggling to peel stickers, try peeling the sticker halfway off the sheet first, leaving the sticker hanging over the edge. This allows your child to easily grab and pull off the sticker.
5. Can sticker crafts be educational?
Absolutely! Sticker crafts can help children develop fine motor skills, creativity, and concentration. They can also be used for educational purposes like learning colors, shapes, and numbers or even to tell a story.
Final Thoughts on Sticker Craft Ideas
Sticker crafts for kids are a treasure trove of creativity, learning, and fun. Kids love stickers and being able to use as many of them as they would like! Whether it’s a rainy afternoon or a lazy weekend, sticker crafts can turn these moments into a memorable artistic journey for your little ones.
Remember, the goal is not perfection but the joy of creating. So, let your kids peel, stick, and bring their imagination to life. Happy crafting!
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