Scissor Skills and Practicing Cutting

Creative Wednesdays

It’s easy to make cutting worksheets on your own for your nanny kids. The photo shows some cutting strips I made myself. I simply drew lines, dashes, and dots on colorful paper with a permanent marker to draw lines where the kids should cut the paper.

But if you prefer to print out some cutting sheets, the creators of Kids Learning Station provide a series of scissor skill worksheets where preschoolers can practice cutting everything from straight and curved lines to more challenging operations like zig zags and waves.

Not only are these practice sheets great for repetition, you can also increase their difficulty level by printing them on paper of different weights (regular printer paper, construction paper, and card stock. Visit Kids Learning Station to print out cutting sheets.

Remember to be patient. Developing the dexterity, coordination, and control needed to perform challenging cutting tasks takes time and patience.

Proper Grip:

Begin by demonstrating how to properly grip the scissors. Scissors should be held in the child’s dominant hand. Have children place their thumb in the upper hole, their middle and ring fingers in the lower hole, and let their index finger rest lightly on the outside of the handle to act as a stabilizer

Snipping:

Have your Nanny Kid start small. Provide them with strips of paper and invite them to practice snipping through the paper in just one cut. This will help them learn the motion needed for extended cutting exercises.

Fringing:

Fringing is another great way to help students learn the quick open-close motion required to cut. Don’t have them worry about uniformity, just the movement.

Line and Shape Cutting:

After they’ve mastered snipping and fringing, graduate children to cutting worksheets like those found at Kid Learning Station. Begin with straight and slightly curved lines, then move to zig zag and wavy lines, and finally, they can begin cutting shapes.

Please click here to visit my storefront to purchase the supplies needed for the projects on this blog.