Cutting lines is as easy to set up as it sounds!
And don’t be fooled by a few lines on paper. Cutting lines is a fantastic way to build hand strength and improve hand-eye coordination. Scissor skills are often something we as parents may neglect to practice at home.
I am here to calm your cutting nerves and share ideas such as cutting lines at home for our toddlers (gasp!) and preschoolers. We want our children to walk into Kindergarten like a boss with cutting confidence.
RELATED: Ready for more? Here are 25+ Cutting Activities for Preschoolers.
What’s the Scoop on Fine Motor Skills?
Why are activities such as cutting, squeezing glue, and lacing beads important?
Fine Motor Skills Practice Helps:
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Control small muscles in your toddler’s hands.
- Prepare small hands for future pencil grip when ready to write.
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Coordinate eye-hand movement.
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Fine motor practice now will help with bigger movements later such as writing stories.
Think of small hand movements and grip as one of the most important life skills. It is age-appropriate and sets the stage for what’s to come in elementary school.
In fact, small motor skills are so important that we have an entire tab dedicated to fine motor activities you can do at home.
This Cutting Practice Breakfast Invitation is loaded with goodies.
Did you know that lines and curves are some of the first stages of writing? Read Quick Tips on Understanding Preschool Writing here.
Another extremely important skill with this cutting practice Breakfast Invitation is recognizing that letters have lines and curves. If you want a valuable activity to practice this skill, you will love this one.
RELATED: Be sure to check out these 50+ fine motor activities!
Let’s get these lines set up to cut!
Supplies
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We keep our scissors accessible in our art cart. With my teaching and parenting experience, I find scissors are used properly when it becomes part of everyday supplies.
Tape down your white paper. – This acts as a border for the cutting practice and keeps the activity looking a little more “organized”. This will help keep your preschoolers focused. You can use the paper again for one of these Breakfast Invitations listed here.
Draw a variety of lines on your paper or cardstock. Squiggles, shapes, and zigzags work best. Keep some lines full, and others dashed.
Place the cards and scissors out the night before and allow your preschoolers to come down and begin cutting as you make breakfast.
Keep in mind, different ages, different abilities.
Draw a smile on the thumb to remind your child to keep it looking up.
My 2.5-year-old on the left is just cutting. For him, he is strengthening his fine motor muscles and becoming comfortable with how the scissors feel in his hands. I am less concerned with him staying on the lines because it is AGE APPROPRIATE for him to deviate.
Now, look at my four-year-old on the right. He is more engaged and more accurate with remaining on the lines.
Remember, the best way to improve scissor skills is over time and with practice.
You will also enjoy these scissor activities:
Which cutting activity will you try first?
Thank you for such simple yet wonderful , interesting ways to increase the strength in there little hands. Will definitely use your suggestion. Esther