Squeeze Glue and Sprinkle Art

White school glue in a squeeze bottle

Dark cardstock or construction paper (dark backgrounds show the sprinkles best)

Glitter, colored sand, or salt

Small bowls for the sprinkle materials

A tray to catch excess sprinkles

Set a piece of dark cardstock on a tray. The tray catches everything that does not stick and makes cleanup simple.

Show your toddler how to squeeze the glue bottle to make lines and dots on the paper. The squeezing motion takes grip strength.

Let your toddler draw freely with the glue. Swirls, zigzags, dots, blobs — anything goes. The glue is invisible on dark paper, which adds to the magic of the reveal.

Set out small bowls of sprinkle materials — glitter, colored sand, table salt, or even fine rice.

Show your toddler how to pinch a bit of material between their fingers and sprinkle it over the wet glue.

Tilt the paper to the side to shake off the excess. The material only sticks where the glue is, revealing the hidden design.

Let the glue dry completely. The finished piece has a raised, sparkly texture that is beautiful to look at and touch.

The pinch-and-sprinkle motion is excellent practice for the pincer grasp your toddler is refining.

If squeezing the glue bottle is too hard, use a paintbrush to spread glue instead. The sprinkle step is the star of the show.

Salt is the easiest and cheapest sprinkle material. For extra color, add a drop of food coloring to salt in a bag and shake.

Contain the mess by keeping everything on the tray. When done, pour the excess sprinkles from the tray back into the bowl.

These make beautiful greeting cards. Fold the cardstock in half before starting and you have a textured card ready to mail.