Popsicle Sticks Activity Art was an activity my 5-year-old enjoyed a lot this afternoon. It involved two of his favorite things: animals and drawing. We reused his popsicle sticks from his Popsicle Sticks Pairing activity last year. For this activity, all you will need are different colored markers and wide popsicle sticks (the type used for tongue depressors).
This Popsicle Sticks Art activity we played is an Animal Family Sorting activity. I loved it because it helps Timmy practice his drawing and his fine motor skills through sorting. So here’s how we did it.
First, get 3 popsicle sticks. On the first popsicle stick, draw a Daddy animal. On the second, a Mommy animal. On the third, a Baby animal. Have your child draw each of the animals on his own. In our case, Timmy wanted to collaborate. So while he drew a bear (pictured above), he asked me to draw other animal families at the same time.
Create as many animal families as you want! When you’re done, shuffle the sticks then lay them out on a table. Your child can now begin sorting. I asked Timmy to sort them by families, but he insisted on sorting all the baby animals first. Then he sorted the Mommy animals, then the Daddy animals.
Sorted! Next, he grouped them by families. He had such a great time he asked me to draw more animals. “Draw a triceratops, Mommy.” “Mommy, draw a long-neck dinosaur.” (He’s on major Dinosaur loving mode now coming from our visit to Dinosaurs Island last weekend.) I asked him to draw them on his own, but he wanted to keep on sorting. Fine with me for now! He needed to work on his fine motor skills anyway. 
Let your kid enjoy this grip and focus activity! Try it with different themes. Group alphabets and numbers together. Try various shapes. How about words that start with similar letters? Experiment and enjoy! There are so many variations you can make to this Popsicle Sticks exercise.
Popsicle sticks are so versatile, especially for learning with kids. What other activities can we do with popsicle sticks? Come share in the comments section!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.