Sticky Mosaics

Add stickers to pictures by color and number.

Sticky Mosaics by number kits have been a favorite of mine over the years. This craft is good for fine motor precision and visual perceptual skills. However, if you buy your own supplies like I do, they can be a bit pricey. I usually buy mine at Hobby Lobby where they go for $12.99 a box. Each box usually has 4 projects in it. I use my 40% off coupon that they publish weekly and end up paying about $2.00 per project. Not too bad considering you can draw them out over several sessions. I work with a young man who just completed a dinosaur picture last week. We had worked on it for about 20 minutes a session for about 8 sessions. Others, of course, will go faster. I usually switch colors or numbers several times during a session so that the individual gets additional practice looking at the key and matching colors and numbers.

For years Sticky Mosaics have come in the colorful boxes you see above with the cats and the butterflies. Fairly recently they have switched to the packaging you see with the dinosaurs, which has a lot more white space on it. You will still see both packaging on Amazon.

Another change they have made recently is they have added round stickers. Traditionally they have used square stickers and often included plastic gems. The square stickers came in multiple colors and textures. The gems were usually round or simple flower or oval shapes and came on a plastic sheet. The kids liked the gems and they were a pretty touch. They tended to be small, but lifting them from the plastic sheet, where they were positioned with space between them, was much easier than lifting the circle stickers that they have now. The square stickers are side by side and once you pick up the first one or two, getting your fingers under the next sticker in line is not too difficult. However, the circle stickers they are making now have space between them, meaning that you either have to push each stick out from the back so you can grab the edge or fold the whole square across so that the very tops of the stickers pop up and you can try to grab them from there.

Each placement for a sticker on a picture is numbered and each box comes with a key showing which color goes with each number. There is also a key printed on paper that comes inside the box. In the image above you can see that the stickers come on squares. They are all sticky, just pick one up and put it on the picture.

Left: This dinosaur picture is half completed. Right: The key with my stickers added.

  
The first thing I do when I open a new set is to place an actual sticker above each number on the key. Some of the colors or textures may be close and may be hard to distinguish otherwise (for some kids).

This craft is very popular with the kids.

Try this:

• Start a new square of stickers by taking off the first couple. Demo how to take them off one at a time.
  
• Work on numbers by placing stickers on all number ones first, then all number twos, etc.
• Announce a number and ask the individual to determine which sticker matches that number. Allow the individual to then scan the picture to find that number and cover a few (or all).
• Switch numbers several times during a session so that the individual gets practice looking at the key and identifying colors and finding new numbers on the picture.
• Hand the individual a square of stickers. Ask him to look at the key, find out which number is associated with that color and cover a few.
• Ask the individual to hold the stickers in the non-dominant hand and pick them off and place them with the dominant hand.

Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, visual scanning, fine motor precision, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, executive functioning skills, process skills, color and number identification, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Usually 4 projects and stickers. Check specific box contents before purchasing.

I Can Tie My Shoes

Shoe tying, lacing cards.

Work on tying shoes, visual discrimination, spatial relations, sequencing steps, executive functioning, process skills, dressing skills, manual dexterity, fine motor precision

In the box: 6 shoes, 6 laces

This is not something that I would have bought for myself. Someone gave this to me and I have used them twice I think. When I work on shoe tying I always start off with the Red Lace, Yellow Lace book, then follow up with real shoes. This system has worked for me for years, including teaching many older kids who had given up long ago trying to learn. And if it ain't broke...

There are six cardboard shoes in this box. The shoes in my box are brightly colored, have a glossy finish and are the same shape as the shoes in the image above. However, the shoes in the image above more resemble real shoes in their design. 

My shoe designs.

 The box looks the same as my box, except for the shoe design, so I'm sure it is the same product. There are six laces included, each a different color. My laces measure 38" and the laces in this newer version are 36". The lace tips are nice and long - 1.5". The shoes measure 7" x 4.25" at the widest part and are 1/16" thick. The shoes should stand up to use, but not abuse. They are easy enough to bend and crack if you are rough with them. The shoes are lightweight and tend to lift off the table and turn on you as you are working on tying. I just prefer the real thing. If you don't know if someone you are working with will be wearing tie shoes when you see them, go to Walmart of a thrift store and pick up a nice pair of clean, sturdy shoes to use.