Scissor Practice in Preschool

Mastering the art of scissor cutting takes oodles of practice and, of course, the right technique. Amy of Teach Mama suggests starting out by demonstrating and helping students develop a proper grip, then build coordination and hand strength with lots of practice exercises. In case you're out of ideas, Amy has also put together a fantastic list of activities and exercises that will help you incorporate scissor practice into your classroom routine! Here are a few of the highlights {with some extra ideas thrown in!}...

"Who can..." Contest. Cut the smallest triangle. Cut the most perfect circle. Cut enough confetti to fill their yogurt cup the fastest {make sure safety is of utmost priority in this one!}. To get your preschoolers interested in cutting and to hone their skills, give them special tasks to complete. They're certain to have loads of fun!

Color, Number & Shape Boxes. Using a simple grid system, provide students with several boxes containing color word, numeral, or shape/shape word headings.

• Color boxes - provide your kiddos with scraps of each color, inviting them to cut three {or another number of your choice} pieces of each color and glue them in the appropriate box.
• Number boxes - have students cut and glue the appropriate number of pieces in each box.
• Shape boxes - invite students to cut and glue the proper shape in each box.

Play Dough Cutting. Invite your kiddos to roll out a giant play dough "snake", snipping little portions from it. You might also consider having students roll out their play dough and use cookie cutters to create various shapes to cut apart one strip at a time.

For more fantastic cutting exercises be sure to visit Teach Mama!