Did you know that being able to use a pair of scissors is a key skill for a child along their developmental journey?
From tuning their fine motor skills to perfecting bilateral coordination, this simple activity is a precursor to many important life skills such as writing and eating.
So, is your child ready to use a pair of scissors? — If they can move their fingers comfortably and control their movements, they might be good to go! Most children will be able to use a pair of craft scissors at around 3 years.
If you have a toddler of about this age, then this week's co create activity will be perfect for them!
Benefits of Sheep Wool Shearing Game
This week’s co create activity is once again brought to you by Vidushi, a DIY Blogger and mom to four-year-old Ira. You can see Vidushi’s previous activity, a Shapes Puzzle, here.
This easy and super fun activity is called a Sheep Wool Shearing Game and is perfect for older toddlers and preschoolers who are working on their fine motor skills. The benefits of this activity include:
Improves fine motor skills - Learning to hold and operate the scissors safely will hone your child’s fine motor skills.
Promotes bilateral coordination - Your child will have to coordinate both their hands while they hold and cut. This will hone their bilateral coordination, which is essential for them to begin writing.
Improves eye-hand coordination - Cutting across a sheet of paper will also help them coordinate the movement between their hands and eyes. This will be useful for many future activities including eating with utensils, playing sports, etc.
Works on balance and strengthens muscles - The repeated snipping motion will also strengthen the muscles in your child’s hand and teach them to focus and balance their hands while working with small objects.
Creating the Wool Shearing Game
Age group:
This activity can be enjoyed by children between 3 to 5 years.
Materials required:
1. Piece of white chart paper
2. A4 sheets
3. Sketch pens
4. Pair of scissors
5. Glue stick
How to create the game:
1. As shown in the image, draw the sheep’s body, face, legs, and eyes on the piece of chart paper. Carefully cut out the body and the eyes.
2. Ask your child to color the face and legs. Stick the eyes on the face.
3. Take the A4 sheet and cut it into a few broad strips, according to the size of your circle.
4. Ask your child to cut fringes on the strips of paper.
5. Roll the fringed paper strips with a pencil.
6. Let your child stick the rolled strips, one after the other, on the sheep. Your woolly sheep is ready for some snipping!
How to play the Sheep Wool Shearing Game
The aim of the game is to shear the wool off the sheep. While this sounds extremely simple, operating a scissor with care will be both challenging and fun for your child.
You can create a fun story around the activity or maybe sing Ba Ba Black Sheep as you snip along! Set the stage for them and get them excited about the activity.
Make sure you stick the sheep on the table or whichever surface you are using to make it easy for your child. Remember to encourage a “thumbs up” position while holding both the paper and scissors.
Make it your own!
This interesting scissor skill activity can be adapted in many ways depending on the your child’s interest. You could trim a dog’s fur, cut a doll’s hair or even Santa’s beard!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this activity. If you would like to share your experience with this activity, tag us at #CoCreatewithshumee. Stay home and stay safe!
Vidushi is a DIY blogger, storyteller, and an author. For more such activities, you can follow her @iracreativeengine on Instagram.