Stick Men
Stick Man
A lovely little book-based activity using paper, glue, and whatever twigs the kids could find.
We read Stick Man by Julia Donaldson (illustrated by Axel Scheffler) and then made our own stick men using foraged twigs. Some kids followed the story and made traditional-style stick men, others gave theirs leaf hats, grass hair, or extra arms. It was a creative free-for-all and they turned out amazing.
This one’s super easy to set up, doesn’t need much at all, and naturally leads into imaginative play or storytelling.
You’ll need
Paper or cardboard
Glue (PVA or glue sticks)
Collected twigs and sticks
Optional: leaves, feathers, grass, googly eyes, crayons
How to make them
Read Stick Man together to set the tone. Then lay out glue and paper and let the kids build their own stick characters using twigs and other nature bits. They can create little scenes, tell their own stories, or just design the silliest stick figure they can imagine. There’s no wrong way to do it.
What it encourages
Storytelling and imagination
Nature appreciation
Fine motor skills
Linking books to real-world play
Creative thinking
A last note
As always, we collected gently—checking twigs for any signs of bugs or other creatures, and only taking what was already on the ground. This one’s great for tying literacy into nature play, and it’s easy to extend by acting out the story or creating a whole stick family.
