Beginning Scissoring Skills with a Mural

You can make scissoring, fun not frustrating, with a few materials. Using items that are easy to hold, provide easier manipulation than paper, and require only 1 to 2 snips with scissors at a time can build your child’s skills and confidence with cutting. Once the child has cut the items provided, use the items to make a project such a mural.

Beginning Scissoring Skills with a Mural involves using materials that are easier to manipulate than paper and require only one to two snips at a time. Creating a mural with the cut items provides fun reinforcement.

• Child's Age: 3-5, 6-10
• Planning Effort: Moderate
• Difficulty Level: Easy

Ability to make one snip on alternate items

1. Use a surface that is at the child’s waist level. Use the surface itself or place a container such as a cake tin on the surface.

2. Place a variety of items in the container that are heavier than paper. Some examples are: short ‘snakes’ of play dough or clay, paper straws, plastic straws, strips of card stock or greeting cards that can be cut in one snip.

3. Place a large piece of contact paper on a wall.

4. As your child snips pieces she can place them on the sticky side of the contact paper slowly filling it up to create a ‘mural’ design.

5. Some children benefit from using different types of scissors i.e. such as snip loop scissors or self opening scissors.