After
sharing the pencil grip ideas yesterday, I found some tips to help children cut
and glue.
(Tune: “This Old
Man”)
School glue, school glue,
Just a little dot will do.
Put a dot and spread it around.
It will hold your paper down.
School glue, school glue,
Don’t use more than a dab or two.
When it dries up, it will disappear.
Your work will look good never fear.
Hint!
Remind children that most of the time they will only need to use a “baby
dot.” You’ll tell them when they
need a papa dot or Goldilocks.
(Goldilocks is when you put curly cue glue all over the page.)
Cutting Song
(Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
Our thumb is on
the top when we cut.
Our thumb is on
the top when we cut.
Put your scissors
in your hand
Make sure your
thumb is the top man.
Our thumb is on
the top when we cut.
Our thumb is always
the top man.
Hold the paper
with the other hand.
Just take little
bites
And you’ll cut it
out just right.
Our thumb is
always the top man.
Hint! Have children lay on their tummies with
their elbows on the floor. This
position will give them more control when they cut.
You can also have
them wad up two sheets of paper and place these under their armpits. Keeping their elbows close to their
bodies will also provide more control with the scissors.
Cutting Caboose
This is an idea
from long ago when we focused more on developmental skills. (I just can’t let some of these things
die! Surely, somebody out there
will be able to do this!) Take a
large appliance box and cut one of the long sides off. Place two chairs in the box facing each
other. Put scissors and scrap
paper in the box. Children can
climb aboard, look at their friends, and cut away!
Cutting Tub
This activity is
probably more doable for most of you.
Get a plastic tub and fill it with junk mail, book order forms,
catalogs, wrapping paper, scrap paper, etc. Children can take safety scissors and cut away in the
tub. You could then use the scraps
for an art collage.