What you can do with paper, scissors, and glue

feature

What you can do with paper, scissors,
and glue

If you are new to early childhood Because children need fine mus- Invite them to paste pictures and
education, you may appreciate cle skills in their fingers, start by shapes on another piece of paper
knowing about traditional paper showing them how to tear, rather to see how torn paper can have
craft activities that teachers have than cut. Offer pieces of newspa- the same impact as cut paper.
used for decades. All the activities per or junk mail, and demonstrate
below are appropriate for use in how to tear strips along fold lines. Teach safety with
the art center, but some may also Use the non-dominant hand (usu- scissors
find a place in other centers such ally the left) to hold the paper
as dramatic play, manipulatives, against the table and the domi- Before handling scissors, children
science, and literacy. nant hand to tear. need to understand that scissors
Remember that the purpose of Advance to tearing pictures out are a tool, not a toy. Provide
art activities is to build skills with of a magazine and then to shapes blunt-tipped scissors for
art materials and to encourage drawn on construction paper. preschoolers and child-sized,
creativity. Avoid having children pointed scissors for school-agers.
make exact copies of the same
object or follow a teacher-made photo by susan gaet z
model. Encourage them to experi-
ment with color, texture, design,
and size. Let them determine
whether their craft will have a
functional purpose (gift, toy, deco-
ration), whether they will display
it or take it home, and whether
they want to name or describe it.
Be sure to adapt the activities to
the children’s developmental
skills and interests. Can they cut
with scissors? Can they use a sta-
pler and hole punch? Would they
prefer working in a small group
rather than alone?

Teach tearing first

Children are not born knowing

how to cut with scissors. Like all

skills, cutting requires watching

someone do it, understanding

safety rules, and practicing.

© Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2012 / VOLUME 36, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com

If possible, provide left-handed add curved and zigzag lines. Vary continued sheets. Note that paper
scissors for left-handed children. the length and width of paper. types are often distinguished by
When children use scissors in an Finally, provide geometric weight, which refers to the thick-
activity, provide adult supervision. shapes such as rectangles, ness and sturdiness of the paper,
Set limits such as the following: squares, and triangles. The hard- not the actual poundage. Copy
■ Use scissors only when sitting at est shapes to cut out will be stars, and typing paper are typically 20
circles, and spirals. to 24 lb., cardstock for postcards
a table. Never run with scissors. and posters may be 50 to 65 lb.,
■ Use scissors only for cutting— Paper craft activities and cover stock for business
cards, index tabs, and booklet
not for prying off a lid, for For the activities below, you’ll covers may be 80 to 100 lb.
example. need three basic supplies: paper, Colored or patterned paper
■ When handing scissors to scissors, and an adhesive (glue, adds variety, and children may
another person, wrap your paste, or tape) or fastener (sta- want to decorate their creations by
hand around the closed blades pler). In some activities, you may coloring, making designs, or glu-
and offer the handles for the add a few extras such as string, ing on art materials such as stick-
person to grasp. stickers, and markers. ers, felt shapes, or tiny photos.
Paper can include construction
Teach how to cut paper, blank newsprint, butcher Paper chain
with scissors paper, notebook paper, typing
paper, and brown shipping paper. Making a paper chain can be an
Show children how to hold scis- Consider recycling old newspa- enjoyable art activity in itself. It
sors in the dominant hand. The pers, magazines, junk mail, can also be used at the manipula-
thumb goes in the upper hole of spreadsheets, letters and other tives table for giving children
the handle and first two fingers one-sided documents, and brown practice in understanding
go in the lower hole. grocery bags. Ask parents for gift sequence and pattern. For exam-
Begin by having children make wrap scraps, tissue paper, crepe ples try red, blue, red, blue, or
snips in a paper’s edge. Offer dif- paper, cardboard, old greeting long, short, short, long, short,
ferent kinds of paper to help them cards, and leftover wallpaper. short sequences.
get used to different kinds of tex- Office supply and printing
ture, thickness, and flexibility. shops may be willing to donate Here’s what you need:
As children gain skill, invite paper scraps, samples, and dis- ■ paper
them to cut along straight lines
drawn on a sheet of paper. Then

photos by sus an gaet z

© Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2012 / VOLUME 36, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com

■ scissors width, like a photograph or paint- to the cardboard to make a
■ glue, tape, or stapler ing. But a sculpture exists in three sculpture.
dimensions: length, width, and Variation: Children may plan in
1. Demonstrate how to cut paper height. Use these terms and name advance to make a sculpture with
into strips ½- to 1-inch wide the geometric shapes children a theme such as fish pond, vege-
and 3 to 8 inches long. make as they work. table garden, or highway, for
example. They can add shapes or
2. Invite children to bend a strip Here’s what you need: pictures appropriate to the sculp-
into a circle and glue in place. ■ construction paper ture’s theme—fish shapes to the
This becomes the first link in ■ scissors fish pond, for example.
the chain. ■ glue
■ cardstock, approximately 8 ½ by Paper lantern
3. Demonstrate how to bend
another strip through the first 11 inches, one for each child Paper lanterns are often associat-
link and glue in place for the ed with parties and celebrations,
second link. Continue adding 1. Encourage children to cut strips but they can also decorate a wall
more links. of construction paper 1 to 2 or table. Encourage school-age
inches wide. The strips can be children to research the use of
4. Ask children how they would of various lengths. lanterns in Asian history.
like to display their chains.
They might want to hang them 2. Invite children to bend a nar- Here’s what you need:
individually on a bulletin board row strip into a circle and a ■ construction paper
or connect them into one long wide strip into a cylinder. Show ■ scissors
chain to drape around a wall, them how to fold a strip into a ■ glue, tape, or stapler
for example. square, rectangle, and triangle. ■ yarn
Apply glue so that each piece
Variation: After cutting strips, holds its shape. 1. Start with a rectangular piece of
children may decorate them. After paper, such as 8 ½ by 11 inches
forming the links, children may 3. After making several shapes, or 11 by 16 inches.
want to glue on stickers, stars, or children can arrange the shapes
other decorations. on a piece of cardboard. The 2. Fold the paper in half length-
shapes may lie on a side, stand wise to make a longer rectangle,
Paper sculpture upright, or stand on top of such as 4 ¼ by 11 or 5 ½ by 16.
another shape. Glue the shapes
A collage is generally an art work
in two dimensions: length and

photos by sus an gaet z

© Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2012 / VOLUME 36, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com

3. Make a series of cuts along the edges of the three flaps to hold storm how they might use their
fold, perpendicular to the fold them in place. cones. For example, the cones
line but not all the way to the 5. Bring the top corner to the cen- might hold small lightweight
other end of the paper. If the ter to form the top flap of the items such as flowers. Or they
cuts are about an inch apart, envelope. The top flap can be could be used as holiday deco-
you will make about 10 or 15 glued or taped down after a rations or holders for nuts and
cuts. card or letter is inserted. The other gifts.
opposite side is for the address. Variation: Before gluing, chil-
4. Unfold the rectangle, revealing To extend this activity, engage in dren may decorate their cones
the slits in the middle. Bring the reverse engineering. Provide a vari- using markers, stickers, paper
two short edges (top and bot- ety of old or used envelopes, such scraps, and small pictures.
tom) together and glue, tape, or as No. 9 business letter envelopes, Note: Older children may make
staple in place. manila mailing envelopes, and a cone using another method. Cut
tiny envelopes used with floral out a circle 7 or 8 inches in diame-
5. To hang the lantern, cut a 6-inch gifts. Invite children to take them ter. Fold the circle in half, and
length of yarn and staple the apart carefully along glued and fold in half again. Open the folds
ends to either side of the top. folded lines, and then put them and cut out one-quarter along the
back together. Children may want fold lines. Bring the two cut edges
Variation: Before gluing the lan- to use the old envelopes as tem- of the circle together to form a
tern, children can decorate the top plates for making new envelopes. cone. Tape, glue, or staple the
and bottom borders with markers, edges shut.
stickers, or colored tape. School- Paper cone
age children may want to cut out Windsock
a design, instead of slits, in the Introduce this activity with photo-
lanterns. graphs or examples of cones in Windsocks, like paper lanterns,
the environment, such as ice have been around for centuries.
Paper envelope cream cones, water cup, funnel, They are sometimes used like
orange traffic cone, and party hat. weather vanes to indicate wind
Children can make their own direction. They can also be used
envelopes for exchanging notes Here’s what you need: for decoration and business
with classmates, giving greeting ■ construction paper advertising. Usually they are
cards to parents, or playing post ■ scissors made of fabric, but children can
office in the dramatic play center. ■ glue make one out of paper.
■ hole punch
Here’s what you need: ■ ribbon or yarn Here’s what you need:
■ construction paper, gift wrap, ■ cylindrical oatmeal box
1. Cut out a square, 7 or 8 inches ■ construction paper or adhesive-
brown paper bags on a side, from the paper.
■ scissors backed paper
■ glue or tape 2. Holding one corner firmly, roll ■ scissors
the left and right sides toward ■ tissue or crepe paper
1. Cut out a square, about 8 ½ each other, one overlapping the ■ glue
inches on a side, from the paper. other to form a cone. Glue in ■ stapler
place at the desired interior ■ string
2. Bring one corner of the square width.
to the opposite corner, making a 1. Cut out the bottom of the oat-
triangle. Fold and crease. 3. Punch holes along the top edge. meal box.
Thread a length of ribbon or
3. Open the fold, and bring the left yarn through the holes, leaving 2. Cut construction paper to fit
and right corners to overlap enough ribbon at the top to around the box and glue in
slightly on the fold line. This make a loop for hanging. place. Or use adhesive-backed
forms the sides of the envelope. paper.
4. Encourage children to brain-
4. Bring the bottom corner to the
center with the other two cor-
ners. This forms the bottom of
the envelope. Glue along the

© Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2012 / VOLUME 36, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com

3. Cut tissue or crepe paper into around the edges, leaving space 3. Invite children to paint or paste
long strips and staple to the to insert a craft stick as a handle. pictures to the front and back of
bottom edge of the box. 4. Insert a craft stick in the open- each page. They may want to
ing and staple in place. dictate captions for each picture
4. Punch four holes at equal dis- Variation: Instead of circles, or tell a story.
tances around the top of the children may cut out other
box. shapes, such as a large fig leaf, 4. Cut front and back covers the
tulip, or apple, for example. same size as the pages. Tape
5. Cut a length of string about 12 one cover to the edge of the
inches long. Tie it firmly in one Accordion picture book front page and one to the back.
hole and tie the other end to the
opposite hole. Folding paper accordion-style can 5. Invite children to dictate a title
produce a number of different for the book and decorate the
6. Do the same with the two craft objects. Glue a head and tail covers.
remaining holes. at the front and back of an accor-
dion-folded strip, and you have a 6. Apply adhesive-backed paper
7. Grasp the center of the two caterpillar. Staple the accordion to each page and the covers.
strings, and tie on a longer folds at the bottom of a sheet of
length of string to hang the paper, and you have a fan. Glue Variations: Instead of a picture
windsock. two or more accordion-folded or story book, children may wish
sheets together along the sides to create a scrapbook in which
Variation: Invite school-age into a circle, and you have a they paste mementos from favor-
children to make a windsock lampshade. The activity below ite activities. The book can be
without the oatmeal box, using a offers an idea for a book. opened and set upon a table, serv-
cylinder of paper glued at top and ing as a display of art work.
bottom edges to small embroidery Here’s what you need:
hoops or hoops made of card- ■ 11- by 16-inch paper nnn
board. Encourage them to test the ■ cover stock
windsock as an indicator of wind ■ scissors For more paper crafts, see “Play
direction. ■ paint or markers with paper” in the Winter 2000
■ pictures (photographs of family issue of Texas Child Care. n
Paper fan
and friends, images cut from
Before the advent of air condition- magazines)
ing, many people used ceiling or ■ tape
hand fans to move air around. ■ glue
Encourage children to make their ■ clear adhesive-back paper
own hand fans to stay cool on hot
summer days. 1. Fold an 11- by 16-inch sheet in
half lengthwise. Cut along the
Here’s what you need: fold to make two sheets.
■ cardstock
■ scissors 2. Fold one sheet in half, and then
■ glue fold each side back accordion-
■ craft sticks style to the center fold, making
■ stapler four pages, each 4 inches by 5 ½
inches. This makes an eight-
1. Invite children to cut out two page book, using front and back
identical circles, each about 8 or sides of each page. (For a
9 inches in diameter, from the 16-page book, repeat this step,
cardstock. and glue the two sections
together with a paper strip.)
2. Decorate one side of each of the
two circles as desired.

3. Place the circles on top of each
other, decorated side out. Glue

© Texas Child Care quarterly / summer 2012 / VOLUME 36, NO. 1 / childcarequarterly.com