Address Label Sticker Drawings: Frugal, Fast and Freeing

Part of Luke's Address Label Sticker Drawing

As I have been writing our Summer Sensory Diet Series, I have been thinking about how summer should be all about fresh air, freedom and healthy exploration.   But, sometimes gets interrupted by sickness or injury, which limits outdoor fun and necessitates ideas for  -- in our family's case -- frugal, fast and freeing fun to keep whoever is not "down" content.

Still Smiling Even with a Sore Eye

In our home over past couple weeks, Luke had a fever one night, I trudged through a migraine and body aches the next day,  and, Jack?  Poor little guy!  He not only suffered a now-healed eye-abrasion on one his big blue eyes, but also just finished nursing his way through a draining fever that lasted from Saturday night through Monday morning, with aches and pains that kept him from crawling or cruising along furniture straight through Monday night. (Or, at least possible aches and pains is why we think he paused his usual joy-filled ambulation for several days.)

Thankfully, my frugal habit of clipping junk-mail address labels into stickers and putting them into baggies by categories came in handy for an easy-to-prepare activity that busied big brother and sister both at home and at the doctor’s office.  Yep, Address Label Sticker Drawings did the trick. It kept Luke and Nina happy and, thus, freed me up to book appointments, chat with the doctor with fewer interruptions and attend to Jack as needed at the doctor's and at home

Since it is such an easy and engaging activity, I wanted to share it.  So, please allow me to interrupt our Summer Sensory Diet Series once again.  This time, in order for a quick how-to on:

Address Label Sticker Drawings

Nina's Parade Go-er

Materials

• the picture portion cut off of junk-mail address labels 
• the blank back sides of misprinted documents
• crayons and pens

Presentation

Offer your child a themed selection of address label stickers, paper and drawing utensils along with a suggestion of what they might create. 

For example, I collected a number of American flag stickers and, one day, suggested that the kids make parades like the one we saw on the Fourth of July.   Another day, I brought flower and butterfly stickers to a doctor’s appointment and asked if the children might create a beautiful gardens or bouquets to give the gals at the front desk before we left.  Still another day, I gave the kids stars and moons and asked if they might imagine their own missions to Mars.

Skills

More of Luke's Parade

• Fine Motor
• Pincer Grasp
• Motor Planning 
• Imagination
• Storytelling
• Tactile Desensitization 
• Pre-Writing

Quick Tips/ Extensions

To encourage a wide range of movements (not to mention oodles of silliness), don't give all the stickers to your children at once.  Hold a few back, and when you see the kids getting antsy, offer these extras to them by sticking them your children’s backs, heels, shoulders, elbows, etc.  Your children will get some great extra input while they reach and twist to get the stickers.

Or, play a bit of hide and seek with the stickers, by placing some on your own body parts or on furniture or walls (with one side of the sticker flapping up for easy removal).  Doing so will add some extra movement and fun to the activity.

For variety, switch out the paper with other backgrounds.  craft sticks (or tongue depressors at the doctor's office) can make for fun sticker stick puppets.  A paper plate can act as a flying disc to decorate.  A recycled box can be the background for a sticker diorama or 3-d construction piece.  Use your imagination and let the kids use theirs!

How do you recycle junk-mail address label freebies?  
Do you have a great frugal, fast and freeing (for you or your child) activity?  
Please share your idea or link. 

Also, enjoy links at Life as Mom's Frugal Friday for other budget-friendly tips.