Can kids use glue guns? Yes, they actually can. With careful demonstration, practice, and adult supervision, your kids can do some of these awesome projects too. I love to use my glue gun for all craft projects, including our favorite Scrabble Magnetic Board.
Supplies:
Safety First – Adult supervision is required for all of these activities.
You know your child, his strengths, weakness, and capabilities. Use that knowledge to keep him safe. Please supervise your child at all times.
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I recently read Teacher Tom’s account of letting his preschoolers (yes, PRESCHOOLERS) use glue guns and I was shocked! I had never, ever thought about using glue guns with kids and I’ve been working with elementary age kids for almost 20 years!
So, off we went to the craft store to buy mini glue guns and try them out!
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First, we practiced lines and squiggles on a piece of paper. Then, we were ready to move on to all sorts of projects! Please note: Parental assistance was involved in all of the following projects.
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Kid Created Glue Gun Projects:
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| Foam Kit from Craft Store to Marionette puppet! |
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| Glue Guns for our flowers. |
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| Glue Guns for putting together our catapults. |
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| Directions for Mickey & Minnie click here. |
Pros of glue guns – Your project dries and is ready to be used in 20 seconds! No waiting to play or holding something together while it dries.
Cons of glue guns – Burns and glue strings. Did my kids burn themselves? Yes. Total burns per child: 4. They didn’t even yelp! It hurt, but they rolled right along with it and learned from it. Tip: Lavender Essential Oil takes care of burns.
Great Projects from Kid Bloggers:
White Glue vs. Glue Guns by Teacher Tom
Paper Flowers from Creekside Learning
Cardboard Castle from The Artful Parent
A Two Year Old from Creative Family Fun
Pine Cone Sculptures from The Chocolate Muffin Tree
Recycled Cars from The Chocolate Muffin Tree
Making Robots from Train Up a Child
Junk Sculptures from Crayon Freckles
Glue Guns in Pre-K from Teach Preschool
Recycled Toys from Word Play House
Resources:
–Glue Gun Helpers Kit (protects fingers, etc)
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Genius idea to make a tracing sheet first! I am pinning and using this with my younger boys when they are ready. Thank you for including our link in such a wonderful post.
Wow! You discovered a lot of glue gun projects for children! It was a new tip to me to add Vaseline at the end of the gun to get rid of strings too.
I love all the wonderful crafts you have created using glue guns!
Keep a bowl of cold water handy and dip any burns in right away to minimize the damage. Love using glue guns.
My 2 & 4 year old love to glue together popsicle sticks. The designs are endless, barns, people, animals, rail roads, etc. I set out popsicle sticks, pom pom balls, sequins, buttons, paint, etc. They will do it for an hour.