Are you looking for some fine motor back to school preschool activities? Add this “Just a Dot, Not a Lot” Glue Practice Worksheet to your first week of school lesson plans.
Free Glue Practice Worksheet for Preschoolers and Kindergarten
During the first week of preschool, we go through a lot of activities that help us gauge what kind of skills our preschoolers already have coming into the school year.
We also spend a lot of time teaching our preschoolers how to use their school supplies.
For some preschoolers, gluing worksheets like this one might be their first experience using glue at all. So, while this makes a fun back to school craft, it’s also an excellent learning activity that will help set your preschoolers up for success.
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FAQ About Teaching Fine Motor Skills to Preschoolers
Much of using school supplies is working those fine motor skills! Here are some frequently asked questions about how to develop motor skills in preschool and kindergarten.
Fine motor practice activities are an important part of toddler and preschool development because fine motor skills are essential to most daily activities such as feeding and dressing oneself. Fine motor activities help kids with hand-eye coordination, hand strength and finger control, which are important skills for learning to write.
Practicing fine motor skills does not need to be complicated. Some easy activities such as play dough, painting, sponging, threading beads or buttons, simple sewing, water and sensory play are all great low-prep fine motor activities. These ideas are not only fun for toddlers and preschoolers but also great at hand strengthening and coordination.
Invite your toddler to help you turn the pages of a book as you read or place loose cereal on the table for him/her to pick up with their pincer grasp. Utilize playdough to naturally strengthen the arches of the hands and invite toddlers to roll, shape, pinch, and squeeze the playdough as they enjoy.
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Just a Dot, Not a Lot Glue Control Worksheet
Ever had a preschoolers or kindergartener basically ruin a project because they used so much liquid glue the paper practically disintegrates? It’s such a disappointment for the preschoolers.
This simple worksheet will help preschoolers develop hand strength and grip strength, while teaching them to have control while using liquid glue.
Materials
- free printable worksheet
- liquid glue
- red construction paper cut into small squares
The Set Up
Print the worksheet on card stock. The added weight of the card stock will help keep the paper from warping from the glue.
In advance, cut the construction paper into about one inch pieces, or for some added scissor cutting practice, you can cut the paper into strips and have your preschoolers snip the strip into pieces. I cut mine in advance to save time, but snipping is valuable cutting practice for new preschoolers.
Alternatively, you can also use one inch tissue squares, which will add neat layers of texture.
How to Use the Worksheet
The purpose of this activity is to teach preschoolers and kindergarteners some control when using the glue bottle.
Spend some time right off the bat modeling for your students how to properly use liquid glue, and talk out loud as you do.
I’m not going to squeeze too hard. Just a little squeeze it all it takes. I’m going to put just a dot of glue over each black dot on the paper. Just a dot, not a lot!
You might find your students repeating the chant, “Just a dot, not a lot,”as they practice. And they love adding just the right amount of glue to cover each dot, and not extra.
Preschoolers can add a square of construction paper after each glue dot, or they can do a bunch of gluing first and then go back and add the construction paper all at once.
Finally, we got out the crayons and my preschoolers colored the leaf and stem.
This allowed me soem time to assess their pencil grip in the same activity.
Related Reading
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Preschool Schedules GuidebookProduct on sale$3.00
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“I Can” Classroom Rule Posters$3.00
Get Your Just a Dot, Not a Lot Worksheet Here
This worksheet is perfect for the first days of preschool and fits in so well with your back to school activities.
More Hand Strengthening Activities for Preschoolers
Hand strength is a precursor for young children to develop fine motor skills. Play dough is an excellent way to develop hand strength, too!
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12 Fine Motor Task Boxes$10.00
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
