Beginning Scissoring Skills with a Mural

  • Situation

    My child is in kindergarten and doesn’t like to cut. She just becomes frustrated. What can we do at home to help her become more skilled and to like cutting. Everything is cutting in kindergarten!

  • Summary

    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.

     

  • Definition

    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.

  • Quick Facts

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

    Ability to make one snip on alternate items

  • Process

    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.

  • Documents and Related Resources

    ot-mom-learning-activities.com (website-for OT activities)

     

    therapro.com (sample retail website)

     

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