I love finding little projects for my smaller children to complete. Little crafts, or tasks that keep them occupied and quiet while I do things like take a shower, go to the bathroom, or cook dinner. On an average day, coloring works well for this.

However, there are plenty of days when plain old coloring just won’t cut it. That’s when I turn to glue. And not for the reason you think, I would never glue my kids to their seats. Intentionally anyway. Instead I will print out some coloring sheets, or draw a simple picture on a piece of paper. Then I get some school glue (one of my kids favorite things in the world). Then hand your kids some cereal. I use Cheerios, or Rice Crispies work great. Then you ask your kids to glue the cereal to the lines of the pictures.

It’s a simple task, but helps kids with their fine motor control. Once the concept is fairly well established you can begin to ask for more complicated shapes. Suggest gluing a triangle, without the guidance of your initial drawing. For older kids, ask them to spell their names and glue it down. My favorite part of this activity, is that all three of my kids can participate at different levels. The baby enjoys playing with the cereal, and I don’t have to worry about him if he eats a bite. My preschooler is great at making shapes, and other pictures. And my school aged daughter writes words and pictures.

For a secondary project, feel free to let the kids add colors after they have finished gluing.