Look at Me, I'm using Scissors

(29 Months)

This is number two from those books, from the previous post.

A few months ago we practiced cutting with safety scissors (we started with just the hand motion of opening and closing the scissors and cutting thin rolls of Play-doh).  Next we tried using copy paper, but the paper was too flimsy.  It was difficult for the kidabunks to hold the paper and cut at the same time.  They made a couple of cuts, but it wasn't enough to get a lot of practice.  Fast forward to last month when I noticed a magazine insert on the floor (the kids were playing with a stack of old magazines and one of the inserts must have escaped the magazine).  Hmmm, let's try using scissors again.  It's the perfect size, it's made of heavier weight paper (so it's a bit more rigid) and it's easy to hold.  Little Miss loved the "teeny tiny paper" and went right to work making cuts into the magazine insert.  I was so happy for her, she was so proud that she was cutting the paper.  She spent at least ten minutes, just picking up an insert making some cuts and then taking a new insert.  I love when she's working, she's so serious.  Wild One was a bit too excited to try the scissors - that boy has A LOT of energy, he's always moving, so we'll try again another day.

We also wrapped a shoebox with yarn and then practiced cutting the strands.  The yarn was way too thick though, I don't know what I was thinking.  I need to purchase a thinner yarn and then we'll try this again.

I saw this cute idea on The Moffatt Girls where Annie placed stickers on heavy weight construction paper and drew lines for her daughter to cut.  What little kidabunk doesn't love stickers?  Little Miss needed some help staying on the cutting line, and then after cutting her fourth sticker she decided to go off the line altogether and rip the sticker the rest of the way off the sheet.  Using scissors takes some serious fine motor skills (both coordination and muscle control).  So, I was plenty satisfied that she practiced for as long as she did.  I love how excited she gets when I ask if she wants to join me for scissor time.  It' so wonderful how fascinated they are with everything.   We decided to recycle the sticker sheets from Which One is Different to practice cutting.  All I need to do is add black lines in between the stickers.