30 Days to Hands on Play: Sticky Art!

Day 13: Sticky Art!

This is an open-ended creative play challenge, involving just one key element- stickiness!

Play Prompt:

Oooo, just think of the possibilities with this one!  If you went on the outdoor adventure this week, you could make a sticky collage using leaves, twigs and other found items from nature?

One of our many buckets filled with stickers, pom poms, papers and recycled bits and pieces for sticking!

How about a simple collage using sweet wrappers, shiny papers, felt snippets, torn newspaper, ribbons, buttons and anything else you and your little one can lay your hands on?! Simply use glue and freely stick the bits down to card or to decorate a box!

A favourite go-to activity at the moment. Box of crafty bits and bobs, glue and coloured card. Et voila! Busy, happy kids!

Or how about... adding in a fun new element by changing the scale and dimensions somewhat?!  Go on a rummage through the recycling box and pull out egg cartons, plastic lids, bottles, ribbons, buttons, toilet rolls, yoghurt post, etc.  The greater the range of colours and textures, the better!

Sticking recycled materials onto sticky-back plastic (contact paper) on the window

 Put a large piece of contact paper (sticky-back plastic) onto a window, door or even table top, sticky side facing outwards. Then simply stick all the "treasures" straight onto the sticky surface to create a wonderful, easy, three-dimensional, collaborative art work!

Cakie and Pop's collaborative window masterpiece this summer! It was HUGE!

 Don't have contact paper and not keen on using any glue? What about this sticky picture alternative?! 


Find some craft foam sheets and cut them into random shapes and sizes. (They do not need to be anything at all, not like in this picture!) In fact, even better, get your child to have a go at cutting them out!

Pop sticking foam shapes to the window with water and enjoying the process hugely!

Take a pot of water and paintbrushes and simply stick the foam shapes straight onto a window, fridge door or tiles around the bath! The simpler the shapes, the more open-ended the art work. As you can see, even little babies can enjoy this!


SO many ways to create a sticky art work! What other materials can you use? Show us your ideas and remember to play, play, play for at least 15 minutes, without interruption.

Or how about just stickers on a cardboard box?!

[Please remember, this is just a play prompt. You are not being asked to replicate any of the ideas exactly from this 30 Day Challenge! We hope to spark an idea for an activity and give an opportunity to try something a bit different each day and the emphasis is very much on having relaxed, good fun and a really engaged play session.]







Let us know what fun ideas you had and adaptations you made by leaving a comment! You can also join the discussion over at The Play Network

Be sure to sign up to receive the emails directly into your inbox each morning. 

Subscribe to our mailing list  

It's not too late to join the challenge! Read the original post here and go back to see what has been suggested already. Either start there or jump right in!

Tomorrow hands on: as we grow will have the challenge for day 14!