# Sticky Yarn Numbers
> Tape clear contact paper sticky side up over handwritten numbers, then have kids press pre-cut yarn along each number. It builds fine motor skills, number formation and length comparison, and can turn into open-ended shape and yarn art.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/fine-motor-activities-sticky-yarn-learning/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: fine-motor, numbers, pre-writing, measurement, shapes, art

## Materials (one batch)
- Clear contact paper
- Colored yarn
- 2 sheet Sheets of paper (household)
- 1 piece Marker (household)
- 1 piece Tape (e.g. painter's tape) (household)
- 1 piece Scissors (household)
- 1 piece Paper plates (optional) (household)
- Paint (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of yarn: Plain yarn colored with regular paint (What the author did since she had no colored yarn.)
- Instead of contact paper: Colored yarn dipped in melted white candle wax (A reader's idea. Once cooled, the yarn is moldable and sticky and pulls right up from any surface. An adult melts the wax over low heat.)

## Safety
- Supervise toddlers closely. Loose yarn pieces can be a choking or strangling hazard, so gather up leftover strands after play.
- An adult does the cutting with scissors.
- If you color the yarn or add fingerprint art, use non-toxic, washable kids' paint.
- Wax-dipped yarn variation: only an adult melts the wax, and kids wait until the yarn has fully cooled.

## Before you start
- Write the numbers 1-8 large on sheets of paper.
- Cut yarn pieces about the same length as each written number. Cut the yarn for 4 and 5 into 2 parts.
- If you only have plain yarn, color it with paint and let it dry.

## Steps
1. Lay the number sheets on the table and tape them down.
2. Tape clear contact paper over the sheets, sticky side up. Now you have your own sticky table!
3. Set out the colored yarn pieces on plates.
4. Lay a piece of yarn along a number and press it down hard so it sticks. No glue needed!
5. For 4 and 5, stick the first part of the number, then the next part.
6. For 5-8, guess which yarn matches which number before sticking it. The longest yarn goes with 8.
7. Trace the curves of 8 slowly with the yarn.
8. Make shapes, figures or pictures with yarn strings of different lengths.
9. Add fingerprint paint art inside your yarn shapes if you like.

## Tips
- Since there is no glue involved, all they have to do is press the yarn down hard and the contact paper does the job.
- The yarn has to be lined up with the number, or it will be too long or too short. That's the fine motor challenge!
- It helps with writing numbers the proper way. For 4 and 5, cut the yarn in 2 parts and show which part comes first and which follows.
- Great for practicing writing 8 (and S).
- Matching the yarns to the numbers before sticking them is an interesting challenge because kids can't visually make the connection.
- For open-ended play, cut strings of various lengths and group them by size. Kids can help with the grouping. Just setting out the materials was more than enough, and the children created their own play.
- Use colored yarn to make it more fun.
- A reader has done sticky paper play with shapes underneath and suggests numbers with dots to match. (from readers)
- Kids who love cutting up string can turn it into a learning experience with this. (from readers)

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

We do many [**fine motor activities**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/fine-motor-activities/) around here which are basically embedded in the other fun activities we do. Every now and then we however like to do intentional fine motor activities - like the one we are sharing today. Another material we love is contact paper. In the past we have shared a [**kids craft using contact paper**](https://www.funlittles.com/paper-roll-craft/) and made glitter tubes, a [**toddler learning activity**](https://www.funlittles.com/shapes-for-toddlers-with-contact-paper/) and another [**kids scavenger hunt**](https://www.funlittles.com/scavenger-hunt-for-kids/) with the same material. Contact paper is super versatile and can be used in numerous open ended art activities, kids crafts and number of learning activities.

### Sticky yarn fine motor activity and a math activity

- **[Clear Con-Tact Paper](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D8GBO2G/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Yarn](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D32MS5C/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- Sheet of paper
- Paint (optional)

I first cut out the yarn approximately the same length as the numbers I had written down in a sheet of paper. Then I laid the sheets down and taped down clear contact paper sticky side up. Now you have your own sticky table!



I set out colored yarn ( colored with regular paint since I did not have colored yarn!)



Then it was time to build some serious fine motor skills by sticking the yarn over the numbers. Since there is no glue involved, all she had to do was press down the yarn hard and the contact paper does the job! The yarn has to be aligned with the number else the yarn will either be too long or too short!.. Fun fine motor activity, right?



Another thing I observed in this **fine motor activity is that it helps with writing the numbers in a proper way.**.For numbers 4 and 5 I cut the yarn into 2 parts and showed her which part comes first and which one follows..Here you can see her "sticking" the curved part first and then going for the horizontal line next.



All our colorful sticky yarn numbers.



For 5-8 I set out another small challenge as well. I had my 4 year old to try and match the yarns with the numbers BEFORE sticking them. She correctly guessed that the **longest yarn matches with the number 8.** **This was an interesting challenge because the kids cannot visually make the connection**



This fine motor activity was GREAT for practicing writing 8 and ( S)



We did not stop with writing numbers. **Open ended creative play** I cut strings of various lengths and grouped them according to size ( you can even have the kids to do it) I had hoped for the kid to create shapes by picking out the appropriate length. My patterns loving 4 year old started creating figures with those. She made a triangle and then spontaneously declared "I want to make a trapezoid" and made one.Then she turned the trapezoid into a picture frame and made finger print art inside the frame. Yeah, math and art together. Just setting out the materials was more than enough and the children created their own play time.

 She would have continued further but some lil' stinker woke up and wanted in.. That's my toddler's exploration right there.. The circle was my 4 year old's. She was going for a yarn person.



That's the result of our creative fine motor activity - our sticky yarn table.



There are SO MANY things you can do with sticky table and yarn! Use colored yarn to make it more fun..Learn shapes, letters, numbers, create art work..

**Thanks for reading**