Our favorite ways to glue in preschool

Gluing with Cotton Swabs

Cotton swabs make a quick and easy way of adding glue to art activities – when you are done, just throw the swabs away. The drawback is that if you use one swab too long, it gets kinds of stringy so you need to have plenty of fresh swabs around to replace the ooey gooey ones.

Give the glue bottle a little squeeze

Exercise fine motor skills by giving glue bottles a little squeeze. Using glue bottles takes practice but with a little practice, young children are able to develop the skills they need to use glue bottles effectively and efficiently – but they can only get better at if if you actually let them practice.

Brush on the glue

Paint brushes are fun to glue with but be sure to rinse them in hot water as soon as you are done or they get hard as a rock!

Butter tub lids make great glue holders.

Fill up a butter tub lid with glue and when you are done, just let the glue dry completely then bend back the lid and pop or peel the dried up remaining glue right out of the lid. Now you can use the lid again! Or you can put the glue inside the butter tub, poke a couple of holes in the lid and then slide the brushes down into the lid and close it all up.

This wont last forever but it keeps glue good for a few days or so.

Our most popular glue bottle and brush…

The most popular gluing tool our teachers like to use is the glue bottle and brush you can purchase from Discount School Supply.

The one drawback to this popular glue tool is when the glue builds up and dries out on the inside edges of the cap and the top of the container – it can be a bear to get the tops on and off the bottle. So one of our teachers came up with a solution!

Just put a little petroleum jelly on your finger…

Then wipe the petroleum jelly around the inside of the glue cap and the outside of the glue bottle…

This will keep the glue from sticking to the container. I would imagine this would work well for any kind of glue container. If you try this, let me know if it works for you!

We use these glue bottles all the time for all ages…

Not my glue of choice for preschoolers…

Want to know my least favorite type of glue? It is a glue stick! We use them all the time for cut and paste kinds of activities but when I see them used in the creative art room, I just cringe! I am not picking on any brand, I feel the same about any brand of glue stick and we do use all kinds of them but I find them to be expensive and they provide less opportunity for exploration, creativity, and even skill building compared to what good old fashioned white glue provides…

Just saying!

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

Subscribe to My Newsletter

Latest Blog Posts

P is for Pizza!

While learning about the letter “P” we decided to explore with pizza! Pizza is an all-time favorite food for many preschoolers, and activities involving pizza

Read More »