The best activity for cutting practice is this idea right here! No joke, this scissor practice is on repeat with my toddler and preschooler.
Simple to set up and guaranteed to be a success! Let’s skip the dull printouts and get straight to business with this epic cutting activity for kids.
Supplies
- Blunt-edged scissors – You don’t want anything too sharp, and these scissors are perfect for cutting through the tape.
- Counting bears – You know how much I love my counting bears! These are great for so many activities.
- Muffin tin – You’ll want this to trap your little bears inside!
- Painter’s tape – This tape is excellent to place across each muffin tin section to trap the bears.
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How to Set Up This Cutting Activity
Step 1. Add one bear to each section of the muffin tin.
For this cutting activity, I wanted to add in some imaginary play. I told my toddler and preschooler that the bears were captured, and they needed his help!
Creating a fictional story will also engage conversation, build vocabulary, and inspire creativity. – Yes, please! Small prompts such as this can go a long way!
Grasping the small bears helps your child strengthen the small hand muscles used to play with clay, weave, and grab with tongs!
Step 2. Put painter’s tape in each direction to close in the bears.
You need to trap those bears, after all! Your toddler must apply some pressure to cut through the painter’s tape, but it’s not too challenging for little hands.
Step 3. Place scissors to the left of the cutting activity.
Placing the scissors on the left helps with left-to-right tracking, which your kids will need for reading and writing later in life. I then invited my toddler and preschooler to get to work.
RELATED: Here are 25+ cutting activities for kids.
How to Help With Scissor Grip
To help with the scissor grip, try drawing a smile with a sharpie on the thumbnail.
Remind your child to keep the smile up. If your child doesn’t want your help, that’s also normal. -It can happen to the best of us. (myself included!).
Just like attempting art with a toddler, learning to cut and how to hold scissors properly develops over time. As caregivers, we need to be patient as this evolves. Just like these 50+ fine motor activities, hands strengthen, and momentum grows with practice. The vital part of the cutting practice is that children can become confident and comfortable using them.
RELATED: Curious how cutting relates to pencil grip? Read all about the stages of fine motor development.
At What Age Do I Introduce Scissors to My Children?
I introduce blunt-edged scissors around 2.5. I explain how to hold them and how to walk with them.
After my children have a simple foundation, they can use scissors anytime. In our house, the boys have access to scissors in the art cart.
This may not be ideal for you, and that is okay; use your best judgment when to use and how to store scissors. You may prefer to keep the scissors in a certain place, so your child needs to ask first.
Do what works best for your family. We like to keep our supply list for activities to everyday items that the children can use freely.
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This Cutting Game is a Hit!
My kids loved this bear trap-cutting game! They were laser-focused on what they were doing, and of course, I was also laser-focused on guiding them. It was such a fun activity! When will you set up a trap, cut, and rescue in your home?
Looking for More Cutting Activities?
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Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to help a child hold scissors is to practice. Share with your child where to find blunt-edged child scissors and how to hold them. Allow your child plenty of cutting practice on their terms. This means ditching the worksheet and allowing them to play and cut paper as they see fit. The more practice, the more likely the child will begin to establish a better grip to cut.
I know scissors can lead to many unpredictable snips. In my experience, the more accessible and casual kid scissors are, the more they use them responsibly. I also like to say we only cut paper.
The best way to help a child hold scissors is to practice. Share with your child where to find blunt-edged child scissors and how to hold them. Allow your child plenty of cutting practice on their terms. This means ditching the worksheet and allowing them to play and cut paper as they see fit. The more practice, the more likely the child will begin to establish a better grip to cut.
Oh my goodness… this has become a hit with my 4 year old. I made up a role play around it that some of her toys had been stolen and only she could rescue them. I told her they couldn’t be touched with her fingers but gave her a basket of ‘tools’ (scissors and big tweezers) that ‘might come in useful’. She jumped into the role play as we raced down the garden to find them. At one point she fixed me with a steely gaze: “Did you put these toys in here, Mum?” “Um… yes…”, “Let’s just pretend you didn’t”? She’s asked to play the game everyday so far. Thank you.xx
Love this! We’ve tried and will do again.
Fantastic!