Have you ever tried teaching your preschooler how to use scissors? Does your preschooler need more practice? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions then I think you will enjoy doing this activity with your 3-5 year old. 

Scissor practice along with other skills are useful for preschoolers to practice in the home. If your child has seemed hesitant before, this activity may pique their interest because of the beautiful watercolor painting. Once that is done then they will desire to make their creation have tentacle. Just like a real jellyfish. As with all the fine-motor skills children need a desire to practice. By turning this more difficult skill into a play based learning experience your child will be an eager participant. 

The free printable, at the bottom of the page, includes a jellyfish with straight lines for the tentacles and a separate jellyfish with wavy lines. 

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A cutting activity for preschool.

How can we interest our child? First, we need to captivate their attention on the subject that we will be applying our practice to – Jellyfish! Read books, color pictures, watch videos, visit an aquarium, or anything else that will teach them about the fascinating world of these translucent creatures. To find a complete list of books, activity ideas, coloring pages and printables visit Jj is for Jellyfish. All free!

Preschool watercolor art.

Now that your child is intrigued by jellyfish we can introduce an art medium they may or may not have learned to use before. This should be done the day before scissors practice because you do not want to tire your child’s hand. The muscles in their hand need repetition and time to strengthen and develop those specific fine motor skills. 

Set up the art station.

To teach your child how to watercolor I suggest allowing them to practice on a separate sheet from the jellyfish printable. My child practiced on one of the coloring pages from Jj is for Jellyfish. Inevitable holes were created from trying it for the first time. This allowed me to correct their mistakes to prevent the holes from occurring on the jellyfish printable. 

Set out the water cup, paper towel, paintbrush, paints, & practice paper. These are the watercolor paints we use and are perfect for the kids. Consider getting out enough for you to join. Your child will love watching and learning from you as they try this new art medium.

Practicing watercolor art for preschool.

Demonstrate to your child how to wet their paint using the cup of water and paintbrush. My eldest was extremely impatient and would not swirl long enough when he first began using water colors. Encourage them to swirl, swirl, swirl their paintbrush in the paint color of choice. Then have them paint on their paper.

Once they complete that color, explain they can use the same color or ask if they want a new color. When a new color is desired, show them the paper towel and how to clean their brush with it and the water. They then repeat the process of adding water to a color and swirling. 

Continue to help and correct as needed but allow room for error. Preschoolers learn a lot from mistakes. When the hole occurs, gently explain why it happened and how they can prevent it from happening again. As usual, your child will love you painting with them as well so pick up a paintbrush and participate. 

Once their practice paper is complete, they will know when that is, they will most likely ask to do another. If you think they are ready, give them the jellyfish printable and let them be creative. Allow the printable to dry overnight.  

Preschool scissors practice. 

Before giving your child the printable or scissors. Show your child how to hold their hand in front of themselves as if they held a pair of scissors. Thumb should be on top and fingers underneath with the palm pointing in. Demonstrate opening and closing your hand and have them mimic. I have found the most difficult movement for my children has always been opening the hand. 

Now that they have practiced without scissors, give them practice scrap paper and child safety scissors. Show them the difference in hole sizes (usually). Have them make the same handshape they did before and you should place the scissors for the first time. Unless they demand to do it themselves, then by all means allow them to but be adamant in holding the scissors correctly.

Additional help that can be offered is holding the paper as they solely practice cutting. Only do this for a short time until they master the opening and closing motion with their hand. Then, allow them to also practice holding the paper correctly to cut it successfully. 

By slowly adding steps we can set our child up for success and decrease the chance for frustration. Once they seem to be cutting successfully more often than not you can give them the jellyfish printable and show them the lines they are to try cutting on. 

I have included a jellyfish printable with wavy lines in case your child has used scissors before and you wish to challenge them. 

A watercolor jellyfish with tentacles.

The jellyfish may be a little rough looking but I will bet your child enjoyed themselves. Be sure to hang their jellyfish on the fridge or wall of fame. 

Hopefully scissors do not seem as daunting or to be as frustrating for your child. Both my children at age 3 were inspired to continue practicing and very quickly they each mastered using scissors. Many parents have commented on how young my children can use scissors at library events and nature groups. I have found it is very beneficial because my 3 year old is able to participate in a cutting and pasting activity without my attention. 

Disclaimer: Now that your child’s attention is on scissors be sure to spend time and emphasize scissor safety. Pointing down when carrying, using only for the purpose at hand, being sure that their own hand is out of the way, no running with scissors, etc. Also, be sure that the adult scissors are in a location that is not easy to access as a precautionary measure. Include in your discussion the difference between the types of scissors and the danger. Lastly, you can communicate that you will cut something that requires adult scissors for them, they simply need to ask. 

Letter of the Week

Jj is for Jellyfish is a part of a larger curriculum, Letter of the Week. Each week is similar in style but completely different in theme. Included are activity ideas, coloring pages, printables, book suggestions, schedule, and more. Click the button below to check it out. 

Jellyfish Scissors Practice

Activity Instructions