Cutting Paint Chips

Cutting Paint Chips

Using scissors correctly is one of the skills most preschoolers have not developed before going to school.  Don't be afraid to put a pair of scissors in your child's hands- with supervision, of course!

Teach them how to:
1) hold the scissors with correct placement of thumb and fingers
2) open and close (cutting straws is great practice for this)
...and when they are ready...
3) cut along a straight line

Paint chips are excellent (FREE) resources for this kind of activity.  They provide a thick, solid, straight line AND they are sturdy enough for little hands to hold without too much bending.  Some paint chips are tall and slender so it wouldn't take too much effort to succeed at the task.  As your child masters the opening and closing of the scissors you can give them the longer lines.  Success is very important to your child-especially at this age.  The littlest thing- like cutting a small straight line, can give them such a sense of independence.