What You Can Do with Paper, Scissors, and Glue
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f e a t u r e What you can do with paper, scissors, and glue f you are new to early childhood Because children need fine mus- Invite them to paste pictures and Ieducation, you may appreciate cle skills in their fingers, start by shapes on another piece of paper knowing about traditional paper showing them how to tear, rather to see how torn paper can have craft activities that teachers have than cut. Offer pieces of newspa- the same impact as cut paper. used for decades. All the activities per or junk mail, and demonstrate below are appropriate for use in how to tear strips along fold lines. t each safety with the art center, but some may also Use the non-dominant hand (usu- scissors find a place in other centers such ally the left) to hold the paper Before handling scissors, children as dramatic play, manipulatives, against the table and the domi- need to understand that scissors science, and literacy. nant hand to tear. are a tool, not a toy. Provide Remember that the purpose of Advance to tearing pictures out blunt-tipped scissors for art activities is to build skills with of a magazine and then to shapes preschoolers and child-sized, art materials and to encourage drawn on construction paper. pointed scissors for school-agers. creativity. Avoid having children z T make exact copies of the same gae object or follow a teacher-made N model. Encourage them to experi- ment with color, texture, design, O and size. Let them determine phTO by susa whether their craft will have a functional purpose (gift, toy, deco- ration), whether they will display it or take it home, and whether they want to name or describe it. Be sure to adapt the activities to the children’s developmental skills and interests. Can they cut with scissors? Can they use a sta- pler and hole punch? Would they prefer working in a small group rather than alone? t each tearing first Children are not born knowing how to cut with scissors. Like all skills, cutting requires watching someone do it, understanding safety rules, and practicing. © Texas Child Care quarTerly / summer 2012 / VOlume 36, NO. 1 / ChildCarequarTerly.COm If possible, provide left-handed add curved and zigzag lines. Vary continued sheets. Note that paper scissors for left-handed children. the length and width of paper. types are often distinguished by When children use scissors in an Finally, provide geometric weight, which refers to the thick- activity, provide adult supervision. shapes such as rectangles, ness and sturdiness of the paper, Set limits such as the following: squares, and triangles. The hard- not the actual poundage. Copy ■ Use scissors only when sitting at est shapes to cut out will be stars, and typing paper are typically 20 a table. Never run with scissors. circles, and spirals. to 24 lb., cardstock for postcards ■ Use scissors only for cutting— and posters may be 50 to 65 lb., not for prying off a lid, for Paper craft activities and cover stock for business example. For the activities below, you’ll cards, index tabs, and booklet ■ When handing scissors to need three basic supplies: paper, covers may be 80 to 100 lb. another person, wrap your scissors, and an adhesive (glue, Colored or patterned paper hand around the closed blades paste, or tape) or fastener (sta- adds variety, and children may and offer the handles for the pler). In some activities, you may want to decorate their creations by person to grasp. add a few extras such as string, coloring, making designs, or glu- stickers, and markers. ing on art materials such as stick- t each how to cut Paper can include construction ers, felt shapes, or tiny photos. with scissors paper, blank newsprint, butcher Show children how to hold scis- paper, notebook paper, typing Paper chain sors in the dominant hand. The paper, and brown shipping paper. Making a paper chain can be an thumb goes in the upper hole of Consider recycling old newspa- enjoyable art activity in itself. It the handle and first two fingers pers, magazines, junk mail, can also be used at the manipula- go in the lower hole. spreadsheets, letters and other tives table for giving children Begin by having children make one-sided documents, and brown practice in understanding snips in a paper’s edge. Offer dif- grocery bags. Ask parents for gift sequence and pattern. For exam- ferent kinds of paper to help them wrap scraps, tissue paper, crepe ples try red, blue, red, blue, or get used to different kinds of tex- paper, cardboard, old greeting long, short, short, long, short, ture, thickness, and flexibility. cards, and leftover wallpaper. short sequences. As children gain skill, invite Office supply and printing them to cut along straight lines shops may be willing to donate Here’s what you need: drawn on a sheet of paper. Then paper scraps, samples, and dis- ■ paper z T gae N s O phTO by susa © Texas Child Care quarTerly / summer 2012 / VOlume 36, NO. 1 / ChildCarequarTerly.COm ■ scissors width, like a photograph or paint- to the cardboard to make a ■ glue, tape, or stapler ing. But a sculpture exists in three sculpture. dimensions: length, width, and Variation: Children may plan in 1. Demonstrate how to cut paper height. Use these terms and name advance to make a sculpture with into strips ½- to 1-inch wide the geometric shapes children a theme such as fish pond, vege- and 3 to 8 inches long. make as they work. table garden, or highway, for 2. Invite children to bend a strip example. They can add shapes or into a circle and glue in place. Here’s what you need: pictures appropriate to the sculp- This becomes the first link in ■ construction paper ture’s theme—fish shapes to the the chain. ■ scissors fish pond, for example. 3. Demonstrate how to bend ■ glue another strip through the first ■ cardstock, approximately 8 ½ by Paper lantern link and glue in place for the 11 inches, one for each child Paper lanterns are often associat- second link. Continue adding ed with parties and celebrations, more links. 1. Encourage children to cut strips but they can also decorate a wall 4. Ask children how they would of construction paper 1 to 2 or table. Encourage school-age like to display their chains. inches wide. The strips can be children to research the use of They might want to hang them of various lengths. lanterns in Asian history. individually on a bulletin board 2. Invite children to bend a nar- or connect them into one long row strip into a circle and a Here’s what you need: chain to drape around a wall, wide strip into a cylinder. Show ■ construction paper for example. them how to fold a strip into a ■ scissors Variation: After cutting strips, square, rectangle, and triangle. ■ glue, tape, or stapler children may decorate them. After Apply glue so that each piece ■ yarn forming the links, children may holds its shape. want to glue on stickers, stars, or 3. After making several shapes, 1. Start with a rectangular piece of other decorations. children can arrange the shapes paper, such as 8 ½ by 11 inches on a piece of cardboard. The or 11 by 16 inches. Paper sculpture shapes may lie on a side, stand 2. Fold the paper in half length- A collage is generally an art work upright, or stand on top of wise to make a longer rectangle, in two dimensions: length and another shape. Glue the shapes such as 4 ¼ by 11 or 5 ½ by 16. z T gae N s O phTO by susa © Texas Child Care quarTerly / summer 2012 / VOlume 36, NO. 1 / ChildCarequarTerly.COm 3. Make a series of cuts along the edges of the three flaps to hold storm how they might use their fold, perpendicular to the fold them in place. cones. For example, the cones line but not all the way to the 5. Bring the top corner to the cen- might hold small lightweight other end of the paper. If the ter to form the top flap of the items such as flowers. Or they cuts are about an inch apart, envelope. The top flap can be could be used as holiday deco- you will make about 10 or 15 glued or taped down after a rations or holders for nuts and cuts. card or letter is inserted. The other gifts. 4. Unfold the rectangle, revealing opposite side is for the address. Variation: Before gluing, chil- the slits in the middle. Bring the To extend this activity, engage in dren may decorate their cones two short edges (top and bot- reverse engineering. Provide a vari- using markers, stickers, paper tom) together and glue, tape, or ety of old or used envelopes, such scraps, and small pictures. staple in place. as No. 9 business letter envelopes, Note: Older children may make 5. To hang the lantern, cut a 6-inch manila mailing envelopes, and a cone using another method. Cut length of yarn and staple the tiny envelopes used with floral out a circle 7 or 8 inches in diame- ends to either side of the top. gifts. Invite children to take them ter. Fold the circle in half, and Variation: Before gluing the lan- apart carefully along glued and fold in half again. Open the folds tern, children can decorate the top folded lines, and then put them and cut out one-quarter along the and bottom borders with markers, back together. Children may want fold lines.