Scissors Practice Cutting Collage Art

Safety scissors (child-sized with blunt tips)

Construction paper in multiple colors

Glue stick

Markers for drawing lines to cut along

Cardstock for the collage background

Set out safety scissors and several pieces of colorful paper on the table. Have a clear workspace.

Show your child how to hold scissors — thumb in the small hole on top, two or three fingers in the large hole below. Practice the open-close motion a few times in the air.

Draw thick straight lines on paper for your child to cut along. Start with simple straight lines before moving to curves.

Let your child cut freely. Straight lines, curves, tiny snips along an edge (fringe), and random cuts are all valuable practice.

Collect all the cut pieces — long strips, small triangles, curvy shapes — into a pile. Every piece is a collage material.

Spread glue on a background sheet and let your child arrange the cut pieces into a design. Layer, overlap, and fill the page.

Celebrate both the cutting and the collage. The process of cutting was the skill practice and the collage is the beautiful result.

Cutting is a two-handed skill: one hand cuts while the other holds and turns the paper. Both hands are working together.

Start with narrower strips of paper — about 1 to 2 inches wide. These are easier to cut across in one or two snips.

If your child struggles with cutting, try stiffer paper. Floppy paper bends instead of cutting cleanly.

The collage step is important because it gives purpose to all the cutting. Nothing is wasted — every scrap becomes art.

Store extra cut pieces in a bag for future collage projects. A stash of pre-cut shapes is always handy to have on hand.