Christmas colored glue and mirrors! Do I need to say anything else to get your attention? Little M has been really into exploring with glue and I just happened to have some little mirrors on hand. Let me tell you glue + mirrors = serious Christmas fun!
I am fully disclosing that this can be a messy activity (check out some less messy fine motor activities). Clean-up was pretty easy BUT be prepared. You might want to use a smock and have a good clean-up plan in place.
I am also reminding you that mirrors are glass (yeah, yeah… I know, you know that) it doesn’t mean your little one can’t enjoy them, just make sure to pick mirrors that have softer edges and stay close enough to keep them safe if their mirror does break.
Christmas Glue and Mirrors – Fine Motor Activities
I used regular old white glue and food coloring to make the Christmas colors. (It took about 10 drops to color the entire bottle). Using the end of a long paint brush we mixed until the color filled the bottle.
We used a mirror with a bevel edge
That’s it! Don’t you love a kid’s activity that’s super easy to prep?!?!
I loved watching the look of concentration on her face as she worked. I also love the fine motor muscle control that went into each perfectly squeezed drop. My plan was this… to decorate the mirror with Christmasy things. Of course it turned into so much more!
The glue didn’t just wipe off between creations like I thought it would. That meant either using an entire roll of paper towels (boo 🙁 ) or making quite a few trips to the bathroom. Little M LOVED dissolving the glue in the sink and that ended up being a huge part of this activity. This is the only part that made me a little nervous with the mirror. With younger kids I might suggest having a plastic tub of water to clean the glue off with.
Exploring with glue bottles is one of my very favorite fine motor activities. Try this yourself… get out a bottle of glue and try making dots and lines. Make dots of different sizes, lines of different thickness… harder than it looks right? You have to know exactly how hard and how long to squeeze. The best way to learn this is to just play (wait isn’t the best way to learn anything to just play).
Once she covered the entire mirror (and I’d imagine exhausted her fingers) something else happened…
She figured out that she could move the glue by blowing on it. It’s these moments that make me so glad I’m sitting by watching as she turns everything into a science experiment.
What are your favorite fine motor activities? Tell us in the comment section.
Looking for more simple Christmas fun?
Ornament Making Station
Peppermint Playdough
Candy Cane Twist
Santa’s Village Pretend Play
Such a fun idea! I’ll have to bust this out with all of the boys, particularly when they are being super rowdy. What a lovely way to settle in and re-focus!!! Loving the ideas, keep ’em coming!
Yay! Thanks for stopping by.
I think I’ve seen colored glue sun catchers so maybe if you let it dry it could be a window cling? Might take a week but it sounds possible.
we actually tried it. The glue has to be pretty perfect (connecting everywhere). and it only stuck for an hour or two before it fell off. I would love to hear if it works better for you! (plus tips of how to make it work. ;))