As parents, caregivers, and educators, we're always looking for simple activities that keep children engaged while building important developmental skills. One of my daughter's favorite activities was this easy-to-make Sticker Match & Find Game.
I created several themed boards using colorful stickers, cardstock, and a laminator. We took them everywhere—restaurants, family gatherings, doctor's offices, and road trips. Not only did they keep her entertained, but they also encouraged visual scanning, attention to detail, and vocabulary development.
Best of all, this activity is inexpensive, customizable, and can be adapted for children of many ages and abilities.
Benefits of This Activity
Children practice:
- Visual discrimination skills
- Matching and sorting
- Vocabulary development
- Attention and concentration
- Scanning left to right
- Independent play
- Fine motor skills
This activity is especially helpful for preschoolers, kindergarteners, children with developmental delays, and children receiving speech or occupational therapy services.
Materials Needed
- Cardstock in various colors
- Sticker sheets (purchase two identical sheets of each theme)
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Laminator and laminating pouches (optional)
- Storage envelope or zipper pouch
How to Make the Activity
Step 1: Choose a Sticker Theme
Select a sticker sheet with plenty of different pictures. Some fun themes include:
- Food
- Transportation
- Animals
- Bugs
- Ocean creatures
- Dinosaurs
- Farm animals
- Space
- Seasonal themes
Step 2: Create the Main Search Board
Using the first sticker sheet, place all stickers onto a piece of colored cardstock.
Spread them out across the page, leaving enough space between stickers so children can easily locate them.
Step 3: Create Matching Cards
Using the second identical sticker sheet:
- Place three stickers on a small card.
- Create multiple cards from the same sticker set.
- Make sure each sticker appears both on the main board and on one of the matching cards.
For example:
Card 1:
- Pizza
- Ice Cream
- Hamburger
Card 2:
- Pretzel
- Cookie
- Donut
Step 4: Laminate (Optional)
Laminate the main board and cards for durability.
This makes them easy to wipe clean and allows them to last through years of use.
Step 5: Store Together
Keep the board and cards in a folder, envelope, zipper pouch, or small travel case.
They're lightweight and easy to toss into a diaper bag, purse, backpack, or car organizer.
How to Play
- Place the large sticker board in front of the child.
- Give them one matching card.
- Ask them to find the three pictures shown on the card.
- Once all three items are found, choose another card.
You can also turn it into a game by:
- Timing how quickly items are found.
- Taking turns with siblings.
- Having children describe the objects they locate.
- Asking questions about each item.
Ways to Increase Difficulty
As children grow, you can make the activity more challenging by:
- Using smaller stickers
- Adding more stickers to the board
- Using four or five items per card
- Creating themed vocabulary boards
- Introducing categories and sorting tasks
Examples:
"Find all the foods."
"Find something that flies."
"Find three things that are red."
Perfect for On-the-Go Learning
One of the reasons I loved this activity was its portability. We brought these boards everywhere. They required no batteries, made no noise, and could entertain my daughter for long stretches of time while also building important developmental skills.
Sometimes the simplest activities become the most frequently used.
If you're looking for an affordable, reusable activity that encourages learning through play, give this Sticker Match & Find Game a try.
Happy crafting and happy learning!
Created by Patrice Badami, Acorn to Tree