Do you have a toddler in your home? Well, then you know that sometimes it just isn't easy to keep them out of trouble!!
Well, if you are looking for a simple, cheap, and fun way to entertain your toddler for 20-30 minutes, this is a great way to do it! PLUS... it's educational... always an added bonus!!
Here's what you need:
• paper - scratch, scrapbook, colored, construction, lined {doesn't matter}
• safety scissors - you know, the ones that are kind of dull on the ends
... and that's all!
** DO NOT leave your child alone... obviously... even though that are safety scissors they can still do some damage!!
Look at that concentration!
My little guy is usually bouncing off the walls, BUT he sat still... at our kitchen table... and cut small pieces out of his paper for a good 20-30 minutes!
{This one looks like he's going to cut his finger, but I PROMISE it's the camera angle... I always intervened when it looked close!}
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What is the BEST PART of this whole activity... it's educational!! Yes, not only is this great as a break for mommy, BUT it's really awesome for your toddlers development too!!
Here's how/why:
• They are learning how to hold and manipulate the scissors.
• They learn about how to use the scissors SAFELY!
• You can discuss the different shapes they cut -- either during or after their cutting spree!
• Have them sort the cut pieces by size or shape.
• Count the number of pieces that were cut.
• Count the corners or sides of a couple of the pieces that were cut.
• For older ones {preschoolers or pre-k} give them a sheet of lined of notebook paper and have them practice cutting on the lines. This helps them with their control of the scissors -- a great skill to have in Kindergarten!
• Use the cut pieces to create a mosaic on some construction paper -- this is a great idea if you use different colored papers for the cutting.
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• Let them scribble or draw a picture on a plain piece of paper, them cut it all up and glue pieces together to create a mosaic. The more colorful the picture the better!
• Teaches your child to stay on task. Toddlers {at least mine} are easily distracted. By focusing on ONE activity they learn to lengthen their attention span.
• They will love to do it again, and again, and again! It's not one of those activities that they do one time and get bored with.
• Teaches them to clean up after making a mess. Little ones will need some help and encouragement with this, but learning that when we make messes we need to clean them up is a life long skill! Plus, kids love to use brooms and dust pans. It's a great way to start training them for household chores. ☺
My 3 yr old loves cutting paper. We also found cutting straws is a lot of fun too!
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