Revised | Originally Published: July 3, 2021 @ 3:06 pm

Overview

Providing children with various glue application ideas adds a bit of novelty (which busy brains enjoy) and helps hone small muscle control, hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, and other skills. If your go-to glue application method is Dot…Dot…Not A Lot these alternatives are worth a look. Applying glue in different ways also creates more opportunities for wiring the sensory system. Plus, it’s fun.

The downside (for adults) is that some of these ideas require a smidge more prep time and may be a tad messier. Still, the benefits outweigh the downsides.

What follows is an incomplete look at glue application ideas that I hope will spark your imagination and willingness to try something different. They may also generate alternative application ideas of your own.

Glue Application Ideas

Let’s roll into the glue application ideas. All of them are easy and use readily available materials. Note that these ideas are for classic classroom glue and may not be ideal with other types of glue.

Fingers

It turns out that fingers make great glue applicators. Just pour a touch of glue into a receptacle and let the finger dipping and glue spreading begin. Be warned that some kids may turn this into a sensory play experience–smearing the glue all over their hands, for example. Others may not want the glue touching their skin at all. Luckily for them, plenty of low or no-contact glue application ideas appear below.

Dipping The Bits

Instead of dipping the fingers, try dipping the bits that are being glued. There’s a chance of glue-to-finger contact, so those “don’t let it touch me” types may not like this one. On the other hand, glue-to-skin exposure can help wire the tactile system.

Cotton Balls

Cotton balls work great as glue applicators. Dip them into the glue, stamp the paper (or whatever) where the bond is needed, and apply the item to be adhered. A (fun?) side effect of this one is that some glue will inevitably find its way onto the gluer’s fingers, and strands of the cotton ball will stick to it–creating furry fingers. This novel situation may lead to some interesting conversations and problem-solving.

Paintbrushes

Paintbrushes are reliable glue applicators-wide brushes for big projects and narrow brushes for finer work. They shine when used for applying glue that’s been diluted–for decoupage purposes, for example. Pro tip: remember to wash the glue out of your paintbrushes. Kids can be part of this process. Provide a container of warm soapy water and show them how to use their fingers and the side of the container to rinse the glue from the bristles. The result is gluing with a side of water play.

Cotton Swabs

Cotton Swabs work well for making the glue dots some preschool teachers seem to favor. Another upside is that cleanup is simple since you can throw them away when the gluing is done.

Syringes

This is one of my favorite glue application ideas. You may want to save this idea for experienced gluers who have built up a bit of hand strength and control–as well as self-control. Otherwise, you could have streams of glue flying through the air, hitting the ceiling fan, and splashing into everyone’s hair.

While there’s definitely a downside to syringes as glue applicators, the upside is learning how to suck the glue into the syringe to fill it and dispense it in a controlled manner.

Straws

The idea here is to dip the end of the straw into the glue and dab it onto the surface of the item being glued. This one could also take a turn for the messy if a child decides to try sucking glue into the straw and then blowing it out onto the surface they want to glue. I recommend a shallow glue container to prevent that scenario (if you want to). It’s a real challenge to suck up a lot of glue from a shallow container. I tried.

Corks

Using corks is the same dip and dab process you’d use with the cotton balls. The upside is that you and the other preschool teachers will have to get together and knock back a few bottles of wine to collect the corks. (My second favorite of these glue application ideas since collecting the applicators is so enjoyable. Please collect corks responsibly.)

Sticks

Sticks make dandy glue applicators. They’re easy to find in most locations and can be returned to the wild when you’re done with them. Plus, some children may be fascinated to learn that sticks can be used for more than lightsaber battles.

A Few More Ideas

Here are a few more glue application ideas:

Conclusion

Offering a variety of glue application ideas adds novelty to the day and encourages kids to use their hands in slightly different ways–which builds strength and agility. And don’t forget-it’s fun.

If you have a novel glue application method not mentioned above, I’d love to hear about it in the comments–and your glue application photos are welcome there as well.

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