Do you have a toddler who’s interested in using scissors? Learning to cut with scissors takes practice. To begin with, most toddlers will cut the full length of the scissor blades and get satisfaction from making lots of cuts. This sunflower cutting craft is designed to let them practise this fine motor skill while completing a simple craft.

Stuff Needed to Prepare the Craft:

• Yellow paper.
• Brown paper.
• A pencil.
• Two objects to draw round to make circles.
• Scissors.

Stuff Needed for Person doing the Craft:

• Appropriate sized scissors. If the toddler regularly uses their left hand for fine motor tasks, buy some left-handed scissors so they work effectively.
• A black felt-tipped pen or dot pen. You could use black dot stickers instead.
• A glue stick.

Adult Preparation

1. Draw a circle onto yellow paper with a small circle in the middle (I used a bowl to make the big circle and a tin can to make the middle one). Make sure that if a cut were made with your child’s scissors using the full length of the blades, it wouldn’t reach the middle circle.

2. Cut out the bigger circle.

3. Draw a circle the same size as the smaller circle on brown paper. You can cut it out now or leave it until later.

Toddler Activity

1. Show your toddler how to make cuts using their scissors towards the centre of the yellow circle. It doesn’t matter whether the cuts are evenly spaced, the flaps bend or a few bits get cut off.

2. Put aside the yellow piece and encourage your toddler to make black dots using a pen or stickers on the brown circle. If it’s easier, wait to cut out the circle until after the dots are finished.

3. Show your toddler how to glue the back of the brown circle and stick it in the middle of the yellow one to complete the sunflower.

Alternatives

If your child enjoyed the sunflower cutting craft you can use the same principle to make other things. How about a lion?