Autumn
Gross Motor
HalloweenKindergartnersPreschoolersToddlers92 Comments
Spider webs are common to Halloween, but this sticky spider web activity can be played all year long. It’s a fun challenge to get kids moving!
This sticky spider web activity is perfect for indoor play.
And can be done in any doorway, hallway or other somewhat narrow place that you have.
I have pocket doors that are about six feet wide and it worked perfectly.
Preparing Your Sticky Spider Web Activity
First I used painter’s tape and made a spider web to span the width of the door.
I absolutely love using painter’s tape in many activities. Especially as a way to get the kids moving and learning. I have a list of 25 tape activities for kids to learn.
I only made it on the top half of the doorway.
Because I knew if I went to the floor, the boys would be trying to run through it and tear it down.
While I taped up the sticky spider web, I had Henry rummage through our recycling bin for some newspaper.
He’s a perfect little scavenger!
Then I asked him to separate the newspapers and scrunch each one into a ball.
Just like we had done for the newspaper throwing game.
Gross Motor Fun With a Sticky Spider Web
Now to get the kids really moving!
Once we finished setting up it was time to play.
The boys had a blast throwing the newspaper balls into the spider web to see if it would catch them (just like a real one would catch a fly!).
George had a tough time throwing the newspaper high enough to get it stuck in the spider web.
But he could just barely reach the bottom part of the sticky spider web, so he stuck the newspaper balls to it by hand.
George just got The Very Busy Spider book by Eric Carle for his 2nd birthday.
This book has been a great extension to this activity (or maybe the other way around) to talk about how the spider web caught the fly.
If you’re a tape fan like me, you’ll love our spy game scavenger hunt too! Feel free to share!
3 More Tape Activities for the Kids to Try:
- Tons of Fun, Just Simple Lines of Colored Tape!
- Giant Spider Web Maze for Kids
- 25 Active Ways to Learn Indoors with Tape
WANT TO SAVE THIS ACTIVITY?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox so you can access this activity later! Plus, you'll get simple activities from us every week!
Peter Harper says
So…what would you think about a father who plays with this…like…all the time? Perfectly normal, right? Right? Asking for a friend.
Tabitha Lightfoot says
Hi Peter! Sounds like your friend is a wonderful dad! :)
Emily says
Thanks for these awesome ideas. I mentioned them on my blog for our superhero homeschool week: https://www.hunnyimhomediy.com/for-the-kids/kool-aid-slime/
Lauren says
Trying to use colors that go with my theme, would masking tape work okay for the spider web game?
Carlyn Peterson says
Absolutely!!
ddp51n1fDKqa says
495238 687893 very nice post, i definitely adore this web site, keep on it 962138
Jennifer says
wonderful, thank you
lal says
giant spiders web in the house must have been awesome or your boys. I’ve pinned this for a rainy day!
Martha says
I cut up cotton balls and left a bowl of them labeled “Spider Food.” We added some kid-made spiders. Then the kids could feed them whenever they wanted.
Lee says
That is the best idea! My preschool class will love this- we are learning about creepy crawlies. Thank you!!
Jamie Reimer says
Thank you Lee!
The Iowa Farmer's Wife says
Love this idea!! Can’t wait to do it as part of our spider week this week!
Mary McNamee says
What kind of games do you have or recommend for a 2 year old I have a grandson who is an only child we need ideas!
Jamie Reimer says
Hey Mary – you can find a bunch of toddler activities here: https://handsonaswegrow.com/category/activities/toddler-activities/
Otherwise I keep track of when we did each of our activities – here’s the link to all the ones that we did when my kids were 2 to 2 1/2 year old: https://handsonaswegrow.com/2-2-5-years-old/
Emily says
Thank you! This saved our sanity on the last few hours of an overnight sleepover with our 2 kids and our friends’ 2! It was a little tricky to get them to stick at times, but a lot of fun.
Jamie Reimer says
Awesome to hear! Glad you guys had lots of fun!
80s hair metal says
Hi there, I want to subscribe for this web site to take newest updates, therefore where can i
do it please help out.
Jennifer says
Hey! My son and I did this with pipe cleaner bugs. He LOVED it! I blogged about it and linked back to you here.
[email protected] says
This is great! My grandson’s 4th birthday party theme is Spiderman. We’re having it at the beach so I guess I could do it on one side of the tent. That’ll be soooo fun!!! I’m sharing this on my blog with a link back here for the instructions :) Thanks so much! ~Yolanda~
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks for sharing it! It would be so much fun for a Spiderman party!
naomi says
love this idea, will be keeping a note of this.
Jess says
Love this idea! Thanks for sharing…
elhadadepapel says
What a nice idea!!!
You made my day!
Samantha says
I found this game on Pinterest a few weeks ago. We could not get newspaper to stick at all though. The kids were really upset. I ended up making balls of painters tape (sticky side out) and that actually stuck. Girls loved this game!
Jamie Reimer says
Oh that’s a bummer! I wonder if its a difference in the type of Painter’s tape? Ours stuck pretty good!
BJ says
What a great idea! I am going to use this for one of our kids games this summer at our churchs annual car show. Thanks!
shoobie says
This does not work!
Jamie Reimer says
How doesn’t it work Shoobie? We did it!
Sarah G. says
Newspaper or magazine pages do not stick from throwing (only by manually placing); I am guessing that was her issue. We tried balls of painters tape but it stuck to our hands too well. Cotton balls worked the best, as suggested by another commenter here.
Jamie Reimer says
Ours did stick by throwing them :)
Sara - My Merry Messy Life says
OMGeee! My boys would love this! What a great, simple idea. I’m going to try this over Christmas break when they’re bored :).
laura says
I did this concept with (2) 2.5 year olds, using duct tape and tissue paper balls (what we had available). It’s a great idea, but we had a problem that the “bugs” wouldn’t stick. We then tried plastic balls (from a ball pit), they didn’t stick either. Finally we had luck throwing cotton balls. Using super sticky duct tape, I anticipated the opposite. Turned out to be a science experiment too!
Ashley says
My girls would love this! Any excuse to throw stuff!
bridget ivanovic says
looks like great fun must try it!
OneMommy says
How fun! We love the Busy Spider book — and my son is so into throwing lately! Just had to +1 this!
Two Small Flames says
Brilliant idea. So quick and easy to set up too. I love things like this!
Hannah says
This looks like great fun, the novelty of having a giant spiders web in the house must have been awesome or your boys. I’ve pinned this for a rainy day!
Go Kid Yourself says
LOVE! This is cute and looks fun. I know I got some painters’ tape around here somewhere!