Do you remember your first time holding a pair of scissors? The anticipation and excitement that comes with the opportunity to use them for the first time is incredible. Now imagine your little on experiencing those same excited feelings! And now imagine them using Christmas Scissor Skills Printables! This post will provide easy to follow instructions on how to get started using these printable sheets in your classroom or at home with your child.
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Download this Free Christmas Scissor Skills Printable Pack!
This is a fun way to practice page by page cutting along dotted lines and dashed lines. Use the pair of scissors that have for little hands only, and then simply cut up these free printable pages that are also Christmas-themed! All scissor cutting worksheets are great for building fine motor strength, and these free printables are no different!
Why are cutting skills important?
Scissors are a good and easy way to exercise the tiny muscles in a child’s hand. It also enhances bilateral coordination (the ability of one side of the body to operate with the other), since the youngster must hold the paper, turn it, and cut it at once. Hand-eye coordination is required when cutting because visual tracking is needed to keep track
Practicing Pre-Cutting Scissor Skills
If you have a small kid who is not ready for fine motor development or who has trouble gripping and controlling a knife, consider practicing pre-cutting skills – a great way for beginners to cut right along. Using a spray bottle is one way to strengthen those muscles. You can use it for things like watering plants, or spraying chalkboards with water, or cleaning toy cars by spraying them with water.
To develop those squeeze and release muscles, you can use clothespins. They are great for little fingers because they are smaller.
If you want to use tweezers for small objects, get these. They are great for picking up small items like beads. The other kind will work too, I have found them at the Dollar Tree. When your child uses tweezers or clothespins, always watch him/her to make sure he/she does not put them in his/her mouth.
Teach your child to use scissors by first teaching them how to grip. Hold the scissors with both hands, with one hand on top and one hand on the bottom. They should make an “ok” sign with their fingers. Then show them how to cut paper by showing them how to move their hands apart over the paper, then back together again.
After your child has mastered the basic skills, have them practice cutting different shapes out of paper. Once they are confident with that, have them try using scissors to cut fabric.
Just know that if you have a child who is left-handed, you will need to get left-handed scissors to make cutting practice worth it for them!
How To Teach Your Child To Use Scissors
Safety scissors are for children and are the best thing you can get for them to introduce several skills, like buttoning up a shirt (an important fine motor skill!). Not the pointy, sharp ones, but the ones with a blunt tip. These scissors are smaller than adult scissors, and you can usually find them anywhere, like at Target or Walmart.
You can try training scissors for children who are just starting to learn to use them, such as 3 year olds to 6 or 7 year olds. Training scissors have a movable spring on the end that automatically closes after squeezing. As their fingers get stronger, you can move the spring back, so they don’t need it anymore. I used this type of training scissors with my kiddos when I was teaching them, and even now, my 3-year-old uses them for cutting all sorts of stuff,
Show your child how to hold the scissors. Help them put their fingers on the correct spot. Show them how to cut paper (cutting small slices of paper). Then they can learn to cut across lines and across paper.
And that’s why scissor skills printables are so important for little kiddies! So don’t forget to download your free Christmas cutting skills printables!
Some helpful tips to remember when cutting scissors skills:
- Cut in straight lines whenever possible
- Use a light grip on the scissors and tell your kids to keep their hands close together
- Don’t force the scissors if they’re not cutting well – try another spot
- Take breaks if their hands start to ache
- Always be aware of where the fingers are, especially when cutting near the tips of the scissors
- If they’re right-handed, use right-handed scissors; if they’re left-handed, use left-handed scissors.
- Find creative items around the house to practice cutting, like coupons, old magazines, coloring books, cereal boxes, and so on! Even workbooks specially designed for cutting practice.
The Importance of Fine Motor Skills
While it might seem like just a little thing, fine motor skills are actually very important. They help children do things like gripping a pencil and write, using a fork and spoon, and buttoning their clothes.
Children who have strong fine motor skills are often able to do better in school because they can concentrate better and have an easier time completing tasks. They’re also more likely to be independent as adults.
So, it’s important for parents to encourage and help children to develop fine motor skills, otherwise, we might end up with adults who can’t do even simple tasks like turn a key or cut with scissors.
And that would be very sad indeed!
Our Favorite Scissor Cutting Skills Worksheets and Workbooks From Amazon
Some of our favorite resources and scissor skills printables with cute cutting practice worksheets are from Amazon. Some have wavy lines, circle shapes, and spiral snakes, and rarely do any of them have complex shapes as an activity page…more like simple cutting worksheets. They have tons of workbooks that are perfect for honing your children’s cutting skills.
Check out these three books of printable cutting worksheets – they’re our top choices!
Practice Scissor Skills For Preschool + Free Christmas Scissor Skills Printables!
Teaching fine motor skills to your child is crucial for their development! Fine motor skills are the small muscle movements that control our fingers, hands, and wrists. They help with activities like using a fork or holding a pencil. Learning how to use scissors will not only make kids feel more confident in cutting paper but also give them better hand-eye coordination which can lead to improved success at later tasks such as writing or tying shoes.
The best way to teach children about scissors is through hands-on practice so they can learn from experience. And they do this by cutting up stuff! So download your free Christmas scissor practice pack while it’s still holiday time!
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I tried to download this but none of the actual pictures showed up. The cover page, copyright, and Dr. Seuss ad was there but none of the printable pictures.
Hey Maggie! Thanks for writing in. I just checked and I sent it to my inbox as if I were getting it, and it shows fine for me. Can you try to redownload it or refresh? I took a screenshot to show you what it looks like for me. I’ll email you!