A TODDLER EXPERIMENT IN UNSTRUCTURED CUTTING WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF SCISSORS ✂️

At the end of every 2 weeks, we have a “review” day that allows me to use up whatever activities I may not have gotten around to from our curriculum. These days also allow me more wiggle room to supplement with my own stuff, and tend to be my favorite because of the creative freedom they allow me.

Today I decided the kids don’t get enough opportunities to cut, so I found something cute (and FREE) on @teacherspayteachers and waited to see what would happen when I presented them with both loop and safety scissors ✂️, and asked them to cut objects in half by way of straight lines. We started with the loop scissors, and to my surprise, they did pretty well. I then offered the typical safety scissors ✂️ most people are familiar with, and although they were excited to try them, they required a lot of assistance and swapped them out for the loop scissors when they became frustrated.

My goal was to get them to be able to cut more independently and have them enjoy the activity. So often when I taught preschool, I would see kids cringe at the mention of a cutting activity. I wanted the opposite of that for this pod. They’ll gain confidence and ability through repeated exposure and guidance, but at 3, I want them to LOVE learning, and that includes cutting. When we provide children with a solid foundation of activities they can be independently successful at, their confidence soars. Confident children often become very able learners, and these 2 impress me every single day.

Struggling on a rainy day at home? ☔️ Hand your child a pair of scissors and have them try to cut along hand-drawn dotted lines. They can be straight lines, a zig-zag pattern, or curved like the flight of a bee 🐝. If they don’t do it perfectly, it’s still a win. It kept them busy while allowing them time to practice cutting (a fine motor task) and participating in an activity that requires them to maintain attention to task. Everyone wins! 🙌🏻