Glue the fall leaves to make a fun art activity.
At first, no one wanted to join me on my leaf hunt. Does it look a little strange for a grown woman to be collecting leaves on the side of the road without kids in tow? Perhaps. But I knew that one of my kids began to glue the fall leaves, the side-eye would be well worth it.
So head outside, and gather the colored leaves. This is a fun way to welcome autumn and look forward to a change of seasons.
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Yes, toddlers can use glue.
I know. The thought of handing over the glue to a young child can sound a little like opening a can of soda that has been shaken up.
But let me assure you that with practice, gluing can become something done on the regular with minimal mess. Even big kids love to glue!
Here is my three-year-old squeezing and using the glue for his fall leaf tree. Here, we keep the glue in our art cart, and you can store your glue anywhere you feel comfortable. Over time, you will see that your child gains responsibility when gluing.
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First, let’s prep your glue, so it is ready for your toddler and preschooler to use.
- Check to make sure there is glue inside the container. If you need to fill it, use a funnel and larger container of glue sold at any craft store.
- Poke a hole through the orange top.
- Wash out the top to get excess glue out.
- Test out the glue to double-check it is ready.
It’s likely our children will abandon ship if they don’t have a glue that works. Taking the time to test out the glue first will help build momentum in the fall activity.
If you cannot get your glue to work correctly, grab a glue stick, and don’t look back. You can always try this activity at a later date with liquid glue.
Right now is a great time to practice gluing with our children.
I say this because many young children are not attending school and are learning from home. Without teachers putting the glue in our children’s hands, they are going without practice.
Gluing is a fine motor activity that improves hand strength. We want to spend plenty of time making hands stronger so that children are ready to form letters, tie shoes, and button clothes.
You can read more about pencil grip and why fine motor activities are important here.
Let’s set up Glue the Fall Leaves!
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a handful of leaves from outside
Tape the white paper on your tabletop. You can also use kraft paper or the back of a paper bag.
Draw a simple tree. I use the fall books called, TREE and Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn to help guide me along.
Once you glue your fall leaves, you can then try this leaf painting activity!
Have mini pumpkins? Pumpkin ABC Memory is such a fun idea.
So gather the leaves, and let’s get gluing!
