Help with Scissors and Cutting: Meet Mr. Munch!
Have you ever seen a child try to cut with scissors like this?
Instead of using what is often referred to as the “thumbs up” position, children rotate their forearms & thumbs downward making cutting more difficult. As adults we try to help them get into the correct position by physically turning their hands so they are “thumbs up”…but many times children need that physical help over and over to before they get the hang of it. Solution?
Meet Mr. Munch!
Children know Mr. Munch needs to be on top of the paper to see where he’s going, which encourages the “thumbs up” position. If he’s not on top, the child self corrects (which is best!) or needs a simple verbal cue such as “where’s Mr. Munch?”, prompting him/her to reposition the scissors correctly. The added bonus …Mr. Munch also helps children stay on the path when cutting.
Watch Mr. Munch in Action:
How to do it
Materials:
Scissors- Amount depends on how many pairs of Mr. Munch scissors you want to create.
One glue gun
One pom pom ball
2 Googly eyes
Construction:
Step 1: Glue googly eyes to pom-pom ball.
Step 2: Glue pom-pom to the top scissor blade.
Step3: Let dry (which happens quickly using hot glue) and Happy Cutting!!!
Wrapping up
Cutting is not only an important skill to develop but also builds strength & coordination needed for good pencil control. Check out these great resources for more information on cutting skills:
http://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/scissor-cutting.html
http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/140_Scissor%20skills.pdf
