Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to safely and effectively use scissors to cut various materials.

Materials and Prep

• Safety scissors
• Paper
• Construction paper
• Old magazines or newspapers
• Gather materials into a safe and organized workspace

Activities

1. Introduction to Scissors: Show the student how to hold and handle the scissors correctly. Demonstrate opening and closing the scissors safely.
2. Straight Line Cutting: Practice cutting along straight lines on paper. Start with thicker lines and gradually move to thinner lines.
3. Curved Line Cutting: Introduce cutting along curved lines using construction paper. Encourage the student to follow the curves as accurately as possible.
4. Freeform Cutting: Provide old magazines or newspapers and let the student cut out pictures or shapes of their choice. Encourage creativity and exploration.
5. Puzzle Cutting: Give the student a simple picture or drawing and have them cut it into puzzle pieces. Mix up the pieces and challenge them to put the puzzle back together.

Preschool Grade Talking Points

• "Scissors are special tools that we use to cut things."
• "When we use scissors, we need to hold them with our thumb on top and our fingers in the holes."
• "We open and close the scissors by squeezing the handles."
• "When we cut along a straight line, we try to stay on the line as best as we can."
• "Curved lines are like wavy lines. We need to follow the curves with our scissors."
• "When we cut out pictures or shapes, it's like making our own special pieces of art!"
• "Puzzle cutting is like making a puzzle that we can put back together."