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. Start by completing a simple activity such as a mural art project.

• Begin the mural art project by setting up a surface that is at your child’s waist level. Place a variety of items into a container on that surface that your child can easily cut with one or two snips.
• Using a flat surface, stretch a piece of contact paper across it with the sticky side facing out.
• As your child snips pieces from each of the items in the container, encourage him/her to stick them to the contact paper, creating 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.