Summertime Scissors Practice

 

Learning to use scissors takes practice! This is an easy prep cutting project for toddlers and preschoolers

My twins love scissors! They can spend a really long time cutting, taping, and gluing.

We started working on scissors skills when they were about two. I wish I’d had this awesome tutorial on how to hold scissors. It would have been so much more fun!

Once they learned the proper grip, we had them practice cutting “fringe,” short straight lines in from the edge of paper. Then we graduated to cutting wavier lines along the length of a page.

You can have a lot of fun just with cutting “fringe.” Here’s a little activity for you and your little one.

Materials:

  • Child’s scissors
  • Adult scissors
  • Construction paper in yellow, green, and light blue
  • Pencil or crayons
  • Ruler or straight edge
  • Circle templates in 2 sizes – anything you can trace around
  • Glue and paintbrush, or a gluestick

Instructions
First, take your ruler and draw a line down the long edge of the green paper, an inch or two from the edge. Then freehand draw short lines from the edge to the long line you drew.

 

Your child will be cutting along the short lines from the edge in TO the long line. They should NOT cut the long line.

 

Next, take your circle templates (I used the lid of a large oatmeal canister and a small juice glass), and trace around them as shown:
You will cut the outer circle, and your child will be cutting in from the edge to the inner circle. (I wish these pictures had turned out better for you.)

If your child needs it, you can draw lines for them to cut along here too.  Once they have cut all the way around, fold up every other “ray.”

Help them glue the sun and grass onto the blue paper. It isn’t necessary to glue down the fringe of the sun or grass. Just tack down the solid parts.

 

At this point, you can be creative. You could give your child stickers, prompt him or her to “draw” something, or cut some additional shapes for your child to glue on.

 

Have fun, and let me know how it goes!
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7 Comments

  1. This is a great activity. My preschooler will love this. She loves cutting but gets frustrated at times, so maybe getting some fun and easy exercises in will be a great idea. And I love how she can turn her work into art! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Great activity idea! My kids love cutting everything – this will be a fun activity! Thanks for sharing #mommycrusaders

  3. That's a lovely idea. My twins love cutting and sticking too, this would be fun for them to practice.
    Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids

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