A great gluing activity for toddlers is sticking small fluffy pom-poms or scrunched up paper balls onto paper. This is fun for toddlers as they get to practise their pincer grip and experience glue. The juggler glue craft incorporates this activity to make a picture of your child into a circus juggler.
Stuff Needed to Prepare the Craft:
- A photo of your child with their arms in the air or out to the sides (if this is difficult to take, you could try it lying down. If you can’t get a picture you could draw one instead).
- A piece of paper or card. Younger toddlers may find a larger piece of paper easier.
- Scissors.
- Glue or tape to secure the photo to the paper.
Stuff Needed for Person doing the Craft:
- A small amount of liquid glue on a plate or scrap of cardboard.
- Small fluffy pom-poms. If you don’t have any, you can scrunch up tissue paper (or thin coloured paper) which your toddler might also enjoy doing.
Adult Preparation
- Cut out the photo of your child. Either cut carefully around the outline of your child or choose a colour of paper similar to the background of the photo.
- Stick the photo to the bottom of the paper. If you want to protect it you can then fold this part of the paper underneath while your toddler glues the juggling balls on (this will also make it easier for them to reach higher up the paper).
- Set up a space for your toddler to do the craft – protect the surface, put out the paper, the pom-poms and the glue on a plate (ready to dip things into).
Toddler Activity
Show your toddler how to dip a pom-pom into the glue and then stick it onto the paper. Young crafters can stick the pom-poms wherever they choose. Let the glue dry.
When it’s dry uncover the bottom part of the paper with the photo on to complete the picture.
Alternatives
An alternative Juggler Glue Craft for toddlers with good fine motor control is to stick the photo on first (one with arms outstretched to the sides works best for this). The adult can draw a loop in pencil where the juggling balls would fly and the child can stick the pom-poms onto the line. When the picture is dry you can rub out the line. I used the rubber on the top of a pencil to get in between the pom-poms more easily. The example in the picture shows this done on a piece of card folded in half to make a greetings card.
