Our Meet Me in the Middle Cutting Activities are a fun way to work on scissors skills and social skills at the same time!
Of all the professionals I’ve worked with during my career as a school-based OT, some of the most creative and resourceful have been our preschool classroom assistants.
They are always cooking up super smart and unique fine motor activities…and I’m always stealing them to use in therapy. Today, I’m blatantly ripping off a cool cutting activity for kids that my good friend and classroom assistant extraordinaire, Marilynn, shared with me (don’t worry, she gave me permission to use it because she’s awesome).
Fair warning – there is potential for kids to think this activity is a “cutting race”, so you’ll need to give clear instructions that the name of the game is keeping your scissors on the line and meeting in the middle…not getting to the middle first!
Materials:
-long craft or butcher paper
-2 pairs of scissors
-markers
Instructions:
Cut a length of the long paper (you can decide how long it should be based on the ages and cutting skills of the kids).
Draw a few colorful lines across the paper with your markers. In the middle of each line, make a large, bold dot.
Let the kids decide which colored line they’ll cut on first. Have each child start cutting from his edge of the paper toward the dot, where he will meet his friend in the middle!
How to Change it Up:
-Draw zigzag or curved lines across the paper to create more of a challenge.
-Omit the lines altogether and just draw a large midpoint as a target to cut toward.
-Try positioning 3-4 kids around the same piece of paper and draw a set of lines for each child so they all intersect in the middle – this way, a whole group can try the activity together!
Looking for other cutting activities for kids?
Check out these ideas for creative cutting practice for kids!
Challenge kids’ visual motor skills with these bright, colorful cutting mazes!
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