From my experience teaching, I know that there are some parents (or grandparents) who don't allow their children to use glue at home, because it is too "messy". If you are one of those parents, consider allowing age-appropriate gluing, and cover the work surface with one of those ubiquitous vinyl picnic tablecloths which are everywhere in the summertime. What is "age appropriate" use of glue?
Pre-school aged children should only use non-toxic glues, and only with adult supervision. (The temptation to eat a purple glue-stick is just too great for some young kids!) As your child gets older and develops fine-motor control, more freedom can be allowed. If a child is at an age where she can use scissors well, she is usually able to manipulate a glue bottle.
But which glue works best for which project? Here are some basic guidelines:
Glue sticks: Washable, non-toxic sticks are fine for all ages, and work best when gluing paper to paper. Papers heavier than card stock, such as corrugated cardboard, require a stronger glue.
Liquid white glue: Non-toxic white glue is best for gluing porous materials to a stiff background, such as fabric, yarn or felt to cardboard. This glue doesn't work well gluing paper-to-paper because it causes the paper to buckle as it dries. Items are re-positionable until white glue dries, which may take several hours. Typically children who are elementary-school aged and older can control the use of this kind of glue.
"Tacky"-type craft glue: This stiff white glue works well for elementary-aged or older children, and is best for gluing non-porous materials, like acrylic gems, buttons, shells or sequins to a cardboard or fabric surface. The thickness of the glue can make it harder to manipulate for younger children, but they can use it with adult supervision.
Glue guns: Even "low-temp" glue can burn a child's hands, and the tip of the gun gets hot enough to cause injury. I typically would not allow children below middle-school age use a glue gun; I would simply do the gluing for them. Even older children must exercise extreme caution. Low-temp or high-temp hot glue works best for gluing heavier objects or non-porous items together, such as gluing a clay figure to a piece of wood.
Other glues, such as two-part epoxies, model cements, jeweler's cements, household cements and silicone adhesives should only be used by adults and responsible teenagers. Some of these glues have toxic fumes and most would be toxic if ingested. These are simply guidelines; if your child is more (or less) responsible using art materials, use your own judgment to determine whether or not she is capable of applying these various glues safely. Protecting the work surface is especially important when using cements and epoxies; the solvents required to remove them will damage wood finishes or other materials.
--Susan Rodebush © 2010
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