Snipping around paper feathers
The child cuts small snips around the edge of the paper in a fringe-like fashion.
Aim
The child enjoys a hands-on exploration of the topic of birds and an imaginative way to practice cutting with scissors
Objectives
- Develop fine motor co-ordination
- Develop concentration
- Develop independence
- Prepare the child to participate in art/craft work
Age
2½+
Materials
- Paper feathers
- Small basket
- Small scissors (both right- and left-handed)
- Tray
Control of error
Visual: over-cutting across the paper feather
Language
Appropriate terms— e.g. scissors, cut, line, snip
Presentation
Prepare the materials that the child will use. If this is the child’s first time performing this activity, show her the tray and tell her the names of the materials.
Show the child how to hold the scissors — with the thumb, index and middle finger of the dominant hand — and demonstrate the ‘open & close’ movement to show how cutting movements are made.
Show the child how to hold the feather in the non-dominant hand, and how to cut small snips along the edge.
Further challenges
Offer the child a piece of card with details already drawn on it: the feather shape and a dotted line down the centre.
The child folds the card along the dotted line then cut along the feather shape.
Ideas
Before introducing cutting exercises, show how to pass the scissors safely. If the child prefers using her left hand, offer her left-handed scissors.
Before using scissors, children need sufficient hand and finger strength. Exercises that help prepare the hand include many Practical Life activities such as pinching pegs, tonging, and wringing out sponges; and Sensorial activities such as grasping the pieces of the Pink Tower and using the pincer grip to pick up Knobbed Cylinder Blocks.
