Cutting - Page 3 of 17

Foam Fortress Cut

Steps:

Draw several thick, straight lines or simple shapes (like squares and rectangles) onto the foam sheets using markers.
Help your child position the foam on a stable table. Encourage them to hold the foam firmly with their non-dominant hand to keep it from slipping.
Challenge the child to cut along the drawn lines using child-safe scissors. Cutting through the thick foam requires a strong, sustained squeeze.
Once all the foam pieces are cut, choose two pieces and align their edges. Push them firmly together to connect them and create a small structure.
Continue connecting the foam pieces by pushing their edges together until the entire ‘fortress’ or structure is complete. Try to make it as tall as possible.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Ensure the child uses age-appropriate scissors safely and monitors the position of their helper hand, keeping fingers away from the cutting path.

Taped String Snipping

Steps:

Adult Prep: Cut a piece of cardboard into a sturdy rectangle. Stretch several long pieces of yarn tightly across the cardboard and secure the ends firmly with masking tape.
Place the cardboard on a stable table. Challenge your child to hold the cardboard steady with their non-dominant hand to provide a stable base.
Using child-safe scissors, encourage your child to snip the taut yarn. They must close the scissors completely to cut through the resistant string.
Encourage a strong, full squeeze of the scissors to get the proprioceptive feedback from cutting the tight material.
Continue snipping all the yarn strands until the cardboard frame is clear. Count how many snips it took to complete the task.

Safety Tip:
Constant adult supervision is required. Ensure your child uses age-appropriate scissors safely. Collect all small yarn pieces immediately after the activity, as they are a choking hazard for children under five.

Card Flipper Launch

Steps:

Hold the index card firmly with your helper hand. Cut 3 short, narrow slits across the center of the card using scissors. Keep the slits straight and tight.
Take a craft stick (the lever). Carefully push the stick through all three narrow slits. The stick should bend the card into a slight spring shape.
Set the lever structure down flat on the table. Place a bead onto the end of the craft stick using your thumb and pointer finger (pincer control).
Hold the index card base steady with your helper hand. Use one finger from your dominant hand to press the craft stick down slightly. Quickly release it to launch the bead toward the container target.

Safety Tip:
Beads are very small and pose a significant choking hazard. Close adult supervision is required throughout the entire activity. Ensure all small materials are collected and stored safely after play.

Foam Sheet Architect

Steps:

Use the markers to draw several simple shapes (squares or triangles) onto the Foam Sheets.
Use child-safe scissors to cut out the foam shapes. Hold the foam steady with your helper hand while cutting along the lines.
Choose two cut foam shapes. Hold them together firmly at the edge where you want to connect them.
Pick up one Golf Ball Tee. Push the pointy end through the edges of both foam shapes to connect them firmly. The tee acts as a sturdy connector.
Continue connecting shapes with tees until you have built a free-standing structure, like a tower or cube. Try to make your structure as tall as possible!

Safety Tip:
Golf tees have sharp points. Always supervise the child closely. Ensure all tees are collected immediately after play.

Cardboard Link Structures

Steps:

Use markers to draw several long strips (about 1 inch wide) onto a piece of firm cardboard. Draw a few simple shapes like squares or circles, too.
Encourage your child to use child-safe scissors to carefully cut along the marker lines. Cutting the thick cardboard requires a strong grasp and finger effort!
Adult Step: Take the cardboard strips and shapes. Cut 2-3 short, narrow slits (about 1/2 inch deep) into the edges of each piece. Ensure the slits are slightly wider than the cardboard thickness.
Challenge your child to connect the cardboard pieces by sliding the slits into each other. The goal is to build a tall, unique, free-standing structure by linking all the pieces.
Encourage your child to use one hand to hold the structure steady while the other hand works to push and maneuver the joining pieces into place.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required during all cutting phases. For children under 5, ensure all small cardboard scraps are immediately collected and discarded, as they may pose a choking hazard.