“Glue Stick Cap Protection Instincts are Hard to Break”
When I was volunteering in the children’s ministry at my church, I was momentarily horrified during a craft activity to observe the children free to keep the caps of their glue sticks willy nilly. No one was scooping them up and hoarding those bright orange caps.
My first instinct was shock and horror because it took me a second to realize that these 5-12-year-old kids were obviously old enough to be trusted with the caps of their glue sticks.
But glue stick protection instincts are hard to break. My instinct to guard glue stick caps comes from my days as a toddler classroom teacher, where glue stick caps were not only a choking hazard but also a hidden teaching opportunity.
Glue sticks are awesome for early intervention.
Using glue sticks allows a toddler to do an art activity without making an incredible mess. I love giving a toddler scraps of colorful paper, a glue stick (without the cap), and the freedom to see what happens.
Basic Glue Stick Toddler Activity
Materials:
- Glue sticks jumbo or regular
- Construction paper of a variety of colors
Activity:
- Tear several colors of paper in small bits or allow the child to help you tear the paper. Start gluing.
Fine Motor Skills Activity: Tearing And Gluing Paper
This activity is more than just fun; it’s a powerful tool for promoting joint attention, fostering creativity, and building fine motor strength. It’s a simple concept that can be modified to meet the unique needs of each child.
Keep readingSkills you can observe when you give a toddler a glue stick:
Functional Tool Use
Can he figure out how the sticky end goes on paper? Is he using it functionally to glue paper? Or is he eating it?
Simple Problem Solving
If he tries to use the wrong side on paper or…If you hand it to him upside down, does he self-correct?
Bilateral coordination (lead hand and support hand)
Can he figure out how to use one hand to hold the paper still with the other hand using the glue stick?
Spontaneous communication
Watch and listen for attempts to communicate. Are there any spontaneous sounds or words? Gestures? Imitations of other children?
Understanding of Descriptive Words, Color, and Size
For example, my glue stick bucket often has both the big and the little ones or the purple and blue ones. If you have both the big and little glue sticks available and ask the child to hand you the “big glue stick,” does he understand?
Making a request
If you give the child the glue stick with the cap on (closely supervised), they will likely need help getting it off. Do they ask for help?
Create “the end of art” routine.
Don’t let the child keep the glue stick caps when the activity begins. Keep them put up and away while doing the art activity because…
- For one thing, a glue stick cap is a choking hazard.
- Also, I hate it when the glue dries out because we lost the cap. Those things roll.
When the activity is done, bring the caps out. Use putting the cap back as part of the clean-up routine to create a predictable social interaction routine because…
- You can directly supervise the choking hazard cap.
- By putting the cap on the glue stick together, you can observe and teach the following:
Follow verbal instructions
One-step directions such as
- “Bring the glue here to me.”
- “Show me your glue.”
- “Dab the paper.”
Two-step Instructions, such as
- “Pick up your paper and put the glue on the table.”
- “Show me your glue, and dab the paper.”
Observe grasp
Observe grasp and strength while using the glue stick. Is he using his fist or a tripod grasp? What about when its just the cap?
Compare the grasp on the cap to the child’s grasp of the larger stick. Refer to your child’s age for a developmentally appropriate grasp at each stage. Use this website from Synaptic Pediatric Therapies, “Developmental Progression of Grasp” (accessed April 28, 2024), as a resource with amazing photographs demonstrating each little hand picking up little things in all kinds of ways.
Hand-Eye Coordination
With a cap in one hand and a glue stick in the other, can your child match the cap to the stick? Maybe not, but trying is a learning activity to build that skill.
Arm Strength
Do they have the arm strength to push the cap and glue it together to get it to close? It’s not easy, but trying is a strengthening exercise in itself.
Imitation
Can they imitate or attempt to imitate words or signs that you model? You can prompt the child to say or sign “glue” or “all done” before you let them handle the cap.
Social Interaction
You may be trying to work on joint attention or back-and-forth communication. Putting the cap on the glue stick creates a social opportunity to practice those skills.
Sensory Tolerance: Sticky Texture on Hands
Notice their hands. Was there some sticky glue on their fingers? If not, why not? Is it because they are proficient and neat, OR is it because they are averse to the texture and do everything in their power to avoid that feeling.
Looking for more ideas about toddlers and glue sticks?
Conclusion AKA “Re-cap”
I love using glue sticks with toddlers because of all the amazing learning opportunities they provide. Despite my paranoia healthy respect for the choking hazard the caps present.
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