Cutting Paper Strips
Open, close, advance. Scissors get tamed in just a few sessions.
Cutting Paper Strips is a Montessori activity for a child aged 4 to 6 years. Area: Fine Motor. Time: 15-20 min.
What the activity builds
Master opening and closing the scissors while feeding the paper forward with the other hand.
The materials
- Round-tipped scissors, sized for your child's hand (and their handedness)
- One-inch-wide strips of thick paper
- A bowl for the scraps
How to do it, step by step
- Draw lines across the strips, an inch apart.
- Show the grip: thumb up, two fingers underneath, elbows close to the body.
- Cut along one line, in a single motion.
- Let your child cut the whole strip, then gather the scraps into the bowl.
The parent's role
A left-handed child needs left-handed scissors: with right-handed scissors, they can't see their own cutting line and think they're failing. Show once, then step back.
Safety
Round-tipped scissors only, seated activity, never while walking. Put them out of reach when finished.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: rolled-out play dough ropes, cut with scissors.
- Harder: cutting a curved line, then a spiral.
- Next step: gluing the strips into a paper chain.
Up next
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