[Early Childhood Education] Paper-Cutting Ideas
Here are some papercutting ideas for preschoolers.
When papercutting designs get intricate, you typically use a craft knife, but this time we’ve gathered scissor-only ideas that even young children can try.
There are plenty of ideas you can use for craft time or wall decorations, like flowers, butterflies, and animals.
First, try papercutting projects that use only straight lines.
Have an adult draw the guide lines.
Let the children cut along them as scissor practice.
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[Childcare] Paper-cutting ideas (1–10)
star
Let’s make star motifs with paper cutouts that can be used to decorate various events.
The key is to fold the origami carefully, following the steps, so it’s best to work in small groups.
The cutting lines are a bit intricate as well, so it helps if the teacher draws the lines with a pen.
You might feel a little unsure the first time, but once you get used to it, you’ll be able to make them smoothly.
How about working on this together with the children when decorating the classroom?
fireworks
Why not try making beautifully shaped fireworks with kirigami? You can create firework cutouts using origami paper.
Because the folding before cutting is complex, plan so it can be done with small groups.
If you let the children draw the cut lines, the results will have freeform shapes, but there’s a chance the pieces won’t stay connected when unfolded and may fall apart.
Depending on the class dynamics and the time available, the teacher can draw the cut lines instead.
Carefully cut with scissors and unfold to reveal brilliant fireworks.
ribbon
Let’s try making a ribbon with paper cutting—it’s an easy accent for any decoration! Since most ribbons are symmetrical, it’s best to fold the paper in half before cutting.
Make the fold line the center of the ribbon, then cut out half of a tied ribbon shape extending outward from the fold.
When you cut and unfold it, a neatly tied ribbon will appear with both sides matching.
You can use this method to create a fully tied bow or just the top part of a bow, so give it a try!
[Childcare] Papercutting Ideas (11–20)
animal
Have each child make their favorite animal and turn the nursery or kindergarten into a zoo! Fold a sheet of paper in half once, use the crease as the center, and cut out half of the animal.
When you unfold it, the full body of the animal will appear nicely.
You can draw the eyes, nose, and body patterns with pens after cutting.
If you want to make each part as cutouts too, keep the paper folded after cutting out the torso and make additional cuts while it’s still folded.
Because animals are structurally more complex than flowers or food, this is a perfect idea for practicing scissor skills.
When drawing guide lines, make sure they’re designed for easy cutting.
maple leaves
Let’s make maple leaves with paper cutting so you can bring beautiful autumn foliage into your room! By making cuts while the paper is folded, you can create pretty maple leaves.
However, since the folding steps are often complicated, it’s best for the teacher to handle the folding and drawing of guide lines.
Have the children do the cutting step to help them get used to using scissors.
Use red, orange, and yellow paper, and if you stick lots of leaves all over the wall, you can enjoy maple viewing in a warm room even as the autumn air turns chilly.
Apple
Of course, apples are delicious eaten as they are, but let’s try making them as paper cutouts, too.
Since apples look symmetrical, you can make one just by folding a sheet of paper in half, cutting a round shape, and adding a long, narrow cut to represent the stem.
Because you’ll be cutting a large round shape, it’s also good practice for children to learn how to cut curves.
It might be best to start practicing with a large sheet of paper.
Make apples in a variety of colors—red, green, yellow—and try decorating with them.
Tulip
This spring, let’s make tulips in lots of different colors to brighten up your room! If you fold a piece of paper in half and cut it into the shape of a tulip flower, you’ll get a clean, symmetrical tulip when you open it.
If you want to make many tulips at once, fold the paper into a triangle three times and then cut out the tulip flower shape; you can make about four flowers at a time.
Try making the stems and leaves the same way.
Once both are ready, combine them and stick them on a wall or on construction paper.
If all the children make flowers in different colors and swap what they’ve made with friends, everyone can create their own colorful tulip artwork.