You know me, I love the holidays. But sometimes? I need a great activity to entertain both the kids and me! Simple holiday sticker match-up activities are our jam. If you give a mom a pack of stickers, chances are she’ll find a way to use them. This holiday sticker match-up will not disappoint.
This is a fun activity for your preschooler and introduces a critical math skill: finding matching pairs. In this article, you’ll discover what you need and how to start this gingerbread man sticker activity!
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- Materials You Need
- How to Prepare Your Child for Sticker Match-Up
- How to Set Up Gingerbread Man Holiday Sticker Match-Up
- Gingerbread Sticker-Match a Great Winter Activity
- Need more holiday ideas? I’ve got some great activities below!
- Craving a calmer morning?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Gingerbread Man Holiday Sticker Match-Up
Materials You Need
- Sweets and Treats Stickers – what makes a sticker activity great? You guessed it, incredible stickers! The ones me and the boys use have cakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, cherries…Mmm. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
- White Paper Roll – you need something to draw your gingerbread man on, and I love these white paper rolls. We use them for everything!
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How to Prepare Your Child for Sticker Match-Up
If your child is young, they may not grasp the concept of matching up stickers. That’s okay! Here’s how to introduce them to matching objects:
- Make a small pile of your children’s socks – grab some fresh out the laundry. It’s a sneaky way to have your child help with the house chores!
- Find some that are paired and some that do not have a match – you want to have a mix of matched and unmatched pairs so your little one can see what makes a pair and what doesn’t.
- Hold up the pair and talk about them with your child – “See these socks? They match! They are both yellow with a red toes. Since these are both the same, I call them a pair of socks.”
- Hold up two socks – “Now, let me check these socks. I see that one is purple and the other is red. They look different. They are not a pair since they are not the same.”
- Ask your child to find a pair of matching socks in a pile – let them take their time!
You will begin to see that they catch on pretty quickly. Once you see them gaining momentum and understanding how to make a matching pair, show them your gingerbread man.
RELATED: Did you know stickers are a great tool to help pencil grip?
How to Set Up Gingerbread Man Holiday Sticker Match-Up
This winter indoor activity took just a couple of minutes of set-up. Remember those sweet treat stickers from Holiday Sticker Cups? Well, of course, we want to reuse them! We look for supplies to use again and again.
Step 1. Draw a large gingerbread man on a paper bag.
I love reusing paper bags from grocery shopping. Use one to draw your gingerbread man (it’s the perfect color, too), then cut him out.
Step 2. Find stickers that have a matching pair.
It wouldn’t be called ‘match-up’ if you didn’t have matching stickers! Make sure you have two of each sticker so your child can pair them together.
Step 3. Place your stickers all over your gingerbread man.
Go wild and stick away! You want to put them all over your gingerbread man, so there are lots for your little one to find.
Ever wonder why stickers are so popular? Enjoy reading this article about the psychology of stickers. Beautifying our surroundings and allowing us to create art or describe ourselves are just a few reasons why stickers can be so fun for kids (and us adults).
Step 4. Leave a space for the matching pair.
The matching sticker is what your preschooler needs to find, so make sure you leave a space for it!
Step 5. Tape your gingerbread man on a vertical surface.
Working on a vertical surface helps build arm strength. Think long-term, throwing, climbing, swinging a bat, all that good stuff!
RELATED: Sticky Paper Pumpkin and Magnetic Prewriting.
Gingerbread Sticker-Match a Great Winter Activity
This holiday, set up the gingerbread man activity for fantastic indoor play and fun! You’ve got this.
Need more holiday ideas? I’ve got some great activities below!
- Cardboard Box Christmas Tree
- Christmas Invitation to Play at the Tree Farm
- Christmas Lights Fine Motor Play
- Holiday Toy List
- Jingle Bell Drop: a STEM Christmas Activity
Craving a calmer morning?
Breakfast Invitations are simple learning games that begin the day with play.
Frequently Asked Questions
This pack of sweet treat stickers listed in the supply list is a great sticker pad that can be used for multiple activities. Look at these 12 sticker activities for kids for ways to use the pack.
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Equipment
- none
Materials
- Sweets and Treats sticker pack
- White paper roll
- Kraft paper or paper bag
Instructions
- Draw a large gingerbread man on a paper bag.
- Find stickers that have a matching pair.
- Place one sticker from the matching pair on the gingerbread. Leave room for the other sticker to be placed next to the sticker.
- Tape the gingerbread man to a vertical surface.
- Invite your child to make matching pairs.
Notes
- Make a small pile of your children’s socks – grab some fresh out of the laundry. It’s a sneaky way to have your child help with the house chores!
- Find some that are paired and some that do not have a match – you want to have a mix of matched and unmatched pairs so your little one can see what makes a pair and what doesn’t.
- Hold up the pair and talk about them with your child – “See these socks? They match! They are both yellow with a red toes. Since these are both the same, I call them a pair of socks.”
- Hold up two socks – “Now, let me check these socks. I see that one is purple and the other is red. They look different. They are not a pair since they are not the same.”
- Ask your child to find a pair of matching socks in a pile – let them take their time!
Hi,
Amazing activities!
What age do you start sticker activities????
Hi! I start early with how to take them off the sheet. (around 18 months) They need a little time to play around with what a sticker is, and how it works before asking them to complete a sticker "task" like this one.