Are you looking for some super fun cutting practice worksheets for your kindergarten students?
I know it seems that kids only want to play with scissors when you don’t want them to. And when you do want them to cut out simple shapes or something, their hand strength seems to suddenly be zapped.
Kindergarten kids are notorious for this. But they just need some good cutting practice to develop their endurance and confidence!
Scissor skills are also important to develop hand-eye coordination, visual motor skills, and fine motor strength.
And let’s not forget that this important skill will also help young learners to do craft projects, cut and paste worksheets, and other fun activities.
It seems there is a lot riding on this one skill, but don’t stress – your child will get lots of practice with the below free printable cutting activities!
They are full of straight lines, wavy lines, zig zag lines, curved lines, and more that will help little hands get stronger and more confident with their cutting skills!
At the bottom of the post, you will find simple directions to download your practice pages today! No email required 🙂
This first sheet is a great way to introduce scissors skills.
Children only need to cut a straight line from the bottom of the page to the stop signs. Tell them to do their best to follow the dotted lines, but it’s okay if they veer off a bit.
As I tell my kids, you’re not a robot, so just do your best.
If your child needs extra practice with straight lines, they might enjoy following these colored lines to a crayon!
As an added activity, you could have the child trace the lines in crayon and then cut them.
This printable introduces curvy lines. Tell your child to work on making smooth cuts as they work their way up to the stop sign.
Encourage them to turn the paper as they cut to stay on the lines.
This practice activity continues to include straight lines but also introduces zig-zag lines.
The fine motor control needed to cut that type of line will help so much when they are asked to cut out different shapes, such as squares or rectangles.
If the child struggles through this activity, assure them that this is the first time they’ve done this. You don’t expect them to master it right away!
There will be plenty more opportunities to practice and improve.
I wanted to find a fun way to give kids plenty of practice with cutting, so I thought it would be best to include some of their favorite things!
This worksheet will have kids cutting toward toys. Ask them while they’re cutting which of these toys is their favorite and why.
If they don’t like any of them, ask what toy they would have added to the worksheet.
I think it’s safe to say that everybody likes cupcakes!
Young ones will be delighted to start chopping away at these wavy lines and thinking about eating cake.
As they work, ask them about their favorite kinds of cupcakes, frosting, and toppings.
These animals are so cute!
Your kid will love talking about them, naming them, mimicking their sounds, and cutting the line toward their favorite animal!
If your kid really likes cute animals, be sure to check out these Cute Animal Coloring Pages.
Hopefully, your kid also loves all things candy!
Zigzag lines may be frustrating for young children, but their favorite treats will motivate them to keep cutting!
Cookies are another favorite treat of kids!
To make this a fun activity, tell your kid to cut the line to their least favorite cookie first. Then cut to their second least favorite, and so on.
They will be excited to finish with their favorite cookie!
Maybe your kid doesn’t really care for sweets.
That’s okay! This worksheet has all different types of lines that lead to sports balls.
The young athlete in your life will be so excited to see their sport represented.
As a quick note, the football line is definitely the most difficult and might be more appropriate for older students. Let your kid give it a try though and encourage them to do their best.
Help them turn the piece of paper for each shortcut.
Yep, I included several holiday pages in this printable cutting packet!
Mostly because kids need to keep working on this skill to truly master it. Feel free to tuck these away so you have them ready to go as these holidays pop up.
This first one is for Valentine’s Day and has your child cutting wavy lines toward heart shaped balloons and valentine cards!
These Halloween cutting printables have super cute jack-o-lanterns with simple straight lines and a couple of zig-zag lines for more of a challenge.
A good option for October morning work!
This is a similar worksheet but for Thanksgiving.
Your child needs to cut each line up towards a Thanksgiving item – pumpkin pie, Tom the Turkey, pumpkin, and pilgrim hat!
Ask your child which item is his favorite!
And of course, there is a Christmas cutting printable!
Tell your child that they must cut to each gift and then they can guess what might be inside it.
A little motivation goes a long way with young ones.
These hair worksheets are so much fun and my personal favorite.
Kids will have so much fun cutting out the lines and making silly hair!
You could print it on construction paper, or have the child color the hair before cutting.
You could also encourage the child the cut out the face of the person and glue it to a piece of construction paper – letting the hair hang loose.
Cutting out the face would be great practice with cutting more complex shapes.
You could also take it a step further with googly eyes for a silly effect.
There are three options for the silly hair-cutting worksheets. You could let the child pick their favorite or you could have them do the worksheets over a period of time.
The child could even give each sheet a haircut after they’re done!
More opportunities for cutting practice is a good thing 🙂
Be sure you have the right pair of scissors for your child’s hand size, especially if you expect them to cut for a prolonged amount of time.
It is not uncommon at this age for parents to not be sure if their kid is left or right-handed. If your kid is struggling with cutting (and/or writing), confirm their dominant hand and make sure they have an appropriate pair of scissors.
If your child is struggling to open and close the scissors, consider buying a pair of training scissors. This cool product has a little lever that helps open the scissors back up after each cut.
A really smart way to help kids adjust to the work of cutting.
Even though they are supposed to be cutting lines…pieces of paper will definitely be falling on the floor.
Have a trashcan close by so that kids can either cut over it, or they can put their scraps in the trash when they’re done.
The above text link will take you to a new window with a pdf file of all the cutting activity worksheets. Terms of Use: These free printable pdfs are for homeschool, classroom, co-op, and personal use only. None of the printables from The Simple Homeschooler are appropriate for commercial use. Thank you!
Whether you are a homeschooler, classroom teacher, or occupational therapist, I hope your young students really enjoy these fun worksheets.
Scissors skills can be a blast to develop when done correctly. And what little learners don’t want to cut apart worksheets with animals, cupcakes, and candy on them?!
If you’re looking for more free resources and kindergarten worksheets, be sure to check out the Activities & Printables section of this blog.
You will find free educational activities like:
