Learning to cut is a difficult job.
Help your little one get practice with these fun cutting activities for preschoolers.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
Why Are Cutting Activities for Preschoolers Beneficial
Just like any skill, cutting takes time and practice.
Think of it as if you wanted to run a marathon.
You don’t wake up one day and start running long distances without practicing smaller runs first.
Cutting is the same way.
Small activities done frequently can help build up cutting skills.
These cutting activities for preschoolers are great ways to make cutting fun and can be completed in small bursts to build up your little one’s cutting stamina.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
Tips for Helping Preschoolers Learn to Cut
Smiley to the Sky!
Draw a smiley face on the scissor’s thumb hole.
Teach your little one to keep the smiley face pointing to the sky.
This will help littles learn to keep their thumbs pointing up.
Train Tracks
Call the lines that are being cut “train tracks.” Your preschooler needs to keep the “train”– the scissors– on the train tracks.
Have Patience
Learning to cut takes practice, focus, hand-eye coordination, and using both hands to do different jobs (one guiding the paper, one cutting).
Work on cutting frequently in small bursts.
It may be sloppy at first.
That’s okay!
Top Preschool Cutting Activities
Fine Motor Skills Man
Reuse an old toilet paper tube by making a fine motor skills man (or woman).
Make the hair by coloring the top third of the tube.
Take the scissors and cut thin strips down to the end of the coloring.
Fluff the hair as desired.
Draw on a face and enjoy playing with the fine motor skills man (or woman)
Line Cutting Worksheets
Cutting worksheets are a great way to simplify cutting activities for preschoolers.
Cutting requires focus, and if too many things are going on (like when doing a craft with lots of steps), it can be hard to focus on the task at hand- learning to cut!
Play Dough Cutting
Break out the cans of play dough!
Let your little one roll out play dough snakes and have him practice cutting the strips of play dough.
Drinking Straw Bracelet
This one requires strong hand muscles!
Grab some straws and cut it into small pieces.
Put these pieces onto a string to make a bracelet.
For more instructions, check out this post.
Sales Ad or Magazine Cutting
Put the weekly flyers and magazines to good use.
Look through the flyers and magazines together and circle the things your little one points to with a marker.
Let your little one cut out the items he chose.
This is a great way to let your little one make a shopping list.
Have him glue the cut out items on a sheet of paper.
Draw a check box and have him mark off when the items are put in the cart.
Hopefully, this will keep him occupied for a bit in the store 😉
Lawn Mower
Bring the cutting activities for preschoolers outside with this activity!
Task your preschooler with the job of cutting the lawn— by hand!
Tissue Paper Crafts
Many tissue paper crafts require small tissue paper squares.
Have your little one cut the squares for you.
Your preschooler gets practice cutting (with little resistance because tissue paper is thin), and you won’t hurt your hand using kid scissors.
Paper Bag Hair Cuts
Using a paper bag, draw a face in the middle with the opening pointing to the top.
Cut hair on the paper bag by cutting strips down the bag to the eyes.
Preschoolers can then give a haircut to the paper bag by trimming the hair pieces.
Save the Animals
Wrap plastic animals in paper strips and secure the paper with a piece of tape.
Preschoolers save the animals by cutting the paper off the animals.
This can also be done by putting the animals in a muffin tin and trapping the animals by covering the holes with tape.
Spaghetti Cutting
Cook up some spaghetti and have your little one cut the spaghetti.
This may be one of the cutting activities for preschoolers that you may want to do outside.
Use the cut spaghetti in a sensory bin to extend the fun!
P.S. You’ll want to clean the scissors after this activity.
Paper Plate Mazes
Draw lines on a paper plate, and little ones practice cutting the lines across the plates.
Dot Cutting
Draw lines on a sheet of paper.
Have your little one use a bingo dotter to dot the lines.
Then, have him cut through the dots by cutting on the line.
Preschool Scissor Activities
With these engaging cutting activities for preschoolers, you are making learning to cut a blast for preschoolers.
Once your little one learns how to use scissors, you may need to hide the scissors so everything (including the dog’s hair) isn’t being cut.