If your child is bored this summer or the rain is keeping you inside, pick out one of the stick games below to play with your child or students. You can work with different colored sticks or various sized ones depending on your preference and which ones you have on hand. If you need to purchase some, either an actual stick game or craft sticks will not be costly.
1. Pick Up Sticks
Pick Up Sticks is a classic game that involves manipulating a bunch of sticks. You can purchase this game at your local store or you can make your own version of the game with colored craft sticks that you might already have.
Learn More: Walmart
2. Catapulting Pumpkins
Get into the spooky spirit by making these catapults with your class or kids at home. This is an interesting STEM challenge that you could let the kids design themselves first or you can support them. You can have competitions with them as well!
Learn More: There's Just One Mommy
3. Shape Game
These shapes come alive when they are made with craft sticks that have bright colors. This type of activity is especially helpful if your young learner is still learning to identify 2D shapes. You can make this a pack-and-go activity too.
Learn More: Team Cartwright
4. DIY Tic Tac Toe
This adorable version of tic tac toe is sure to engage your students. This jumbo tic tac toe board will allow for hours of fun for the opponents. You can play with different colored buttons or have a tournament amongst the players.
Learn More: Glued To My Crafts Blog
5. Making Words
All it takes is a bundle of sticks and a marker, and you have an exciting new game for your word work station during your literacy time. Students can work on building their names or high-frequency words. You can reuse this activity next year as well.
Learn More: Fantastic Fun And Learning
6. Chain Reaction
This activity focuses on the concept of chain reactions. This concept can be applied to many areas of science that you might be working on or introducing. It also looks at potential and kinetic energy as students are participating in the construction of it.
Learn More: Science Sparks
7. Craft Stick Puzzles
Using just a pack of craft sticks and some markers, you can create these mini puzzles for kids. You can create a festive theme or simple shapes. The children will have fun mixing and matching until they can get a complete puzzle!
Learn More: Plain Vanilla Mom
8. Exploding Boomerangs
Create this craft stick exploding boomerangs with just a few crooked sticks. Even though these boomerangs will not return to you, they look similar to the real thing! You can use regular-sized and colored craft sticks or these jumbo and colorful ones.
Learn More: I Can Teach My Child
9. Popsicle Stick Balancing Game
Incorporate this balancing game into your next science lesson. Your children or students will love the hands-on experience of testing and experimenting with which items will balance and which items will make the whole thing tip over. Give it a try!
Learn More: DIY & Crafts
10. Glow-in-the-Dark Tag
Make sure your kids don't get too spooked or excited during this game of glow-in-the-dark tag. It is especially fun because someone could come jumping out of the shadows at any time! Make sure to play this when it is properly dark outside.
Learn More: Starlux Games
11. The Gratitude Game
Practice being thankful and grateful with this stick game. Grabbing a bunch of colored craft sticks and laying them in a pile, then picking one by one up, students will give examples of things or people they are grateful for that relate to that color.
Learn More: Teach Beside Me
12. Kick the Stick
Get your students and children up and moving. Playing this game in a wide, open space is advised. A place such as a gymnasium or outdoor clear field. This game uses a single stick as a pole to play with and the players must hit specific targets.
Learn More: Play AFL
13. Stick Fort
If you are looking to purchase a game, check out this one! Players will construct forts and buildings with the sticks and connecting pieces it comes with. Kids can build castles or houses, the possibilities are endless with all of the sticks included.
Learn More: Amazon
14. Color Sorting
This activity is perfect for little learners who are still learning the names of colors and how to recognize them. The players will work on sorting the colored sticks into the correct bags. If you are teaching preschool or kindergarten, take a look!
Learn More: Do Play Learn
15. Dragon Cave
Make your pet mythical creature comfortable in a dragon den! Creating a little home for your imaginary pet dragon is the perfect outdoor activity. You can incorporate this idea into your outdoor education unit by discussing different types of trees.
Learn More: Go Explore Nature
16. Stick Sword Fighting
Kids will definitely have fun with this mini-fencing idea. They can battle and participate in stick sword fighting. Make sure you establish clear rules and boundaries before letting them have sticks and approach each other with them. It should be hilarious!
Learn More: familyverde
17. Matchstick Logic Puzzle
This matchstick logic puzzle will leave kids scratching their heads. This is an excellent challenge to keep in your back pocket for days when you are in a pinch and need an entertaining idea to occupy your little ones. You can come across match sticks in most places as well.
Learn More: OneHowto
18. Lower the Stick Game
This game definitely requires some teamwork! This team-building game demands everyone put one or two index fingers underneath the rod. The students must coordinate who moves and when to get the marble from one end to the other safely. Can your class do it?
Learn More: Raising Dragons - Activities For Kids
19. Tap Your Sticks
You can even use sticks in your next music class. Have students experience making different sounds with different types, sizes, and widths of sticks. They could create their own song independently or work in groups to form a band. How musical!
Learn More: Makin' Music Rockin' Rhythms
20. Giant Lawn Pick-up Sticks
Take the rules of the classic game pick up sticks and make it much larger. These sticks are so large that chances are you might not even be able to play with them inside a house or classroom. The participants will have a blast.
Learn More: Nellie Bellie
21. Glow Golf
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Construct the smallest golf course ever and use glow-in-the-dark sticks as tiny golf clubs. Take this activity outside and have an even better time. Just watch out for where your golf balls land and keep an eye on them as they fly through the air.
Learn More: The Spruce
22. Build a Den With Sticks
Next time you are discussing animal habitats or homes, have the students construct these dens made out of sticks. Adding leaves, flowers, and foliage around or on top of the sticks will create a unique look to the den as students can customize it as they like.
Learn More: The Ladybirds Adventures
23. Make a Wand
A flower wand or wizard wand is the perfect fit for an activity like this. You can hot glue or tie on other natural elements to make your flower wand or wizard wand that much more special. Items such as rocks, leaves, or flowers.
Learn More: The Ladybirds Adventures
24. Pompom Balance Tree
This idea is another example of a balancing activity. Using just a few household items, your children or students can explore the idea of balance by adding different amounts of pompoms to each side. They can explore balancing with other objects too!
Learn More: Hands On As We Grow
25. Dream House Building
The benefits of this activity are plentiful. Having students construct their own shapes or items out of craft sticks first and then transferring the image to paper has many educational components. The students will love the freedom and creativity that this activity allows for.
Learn More: Mrs. Lee's Kinderkids
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