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Preschool Fine Motor Practice: Decoupage

Preschool scissor practice

Four-year-old Emma is all about cutting these days – I guess she has decided it’s time for some preschool fine motor practice! This decoupage activity makes for fun scissor practice for my little preschooler. She started off cutting out coupons that came in the mail, and moved on to her coloring books. She has amassed quite an impressive collection of decoupage figures:

Scissor practice for preschoolers: coloring book decoupage

It turns out that coloring books make for inexpensive scissor practice workbooks! Emma loves choosing which picture to cut out, and then playing with them. We have turned a few into popsicle stick puppets with a few of them already, too.

Paper sewing is another great fine motor practice activity for preschoolers, along with painting.

What are your favorite fine motor activities for kids?

MaryAnne at Mama Smiles

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

22 thoughts on “Preschool Fine Motor Practice: Decoupage”

  1. Wow, what great cutting skills! I don’t think those would be easy for ME to cut out! I love the magnet idea, I was going to say you could glue some felt on the back and use them on a flannel board, but I think the magnet idea is better! I can just imagine the fun stories she could make up with these.
    .-= Nicole´s last blog ..The Art Box – July 12- 2010 =-.

  2. Great cutting skills! At preschool I have laminated (or just use clear contact paper) paper pictures and then added magnets or felt to the back for felt board play. If these are favorite characters of hers, then maybe make a mobile to hang in her room.
    .-= MamaRuck´s last blog ..A Mothers Confession =-.

  3. @Natalie- Thanks for the child’s perspective on this, it’s always good to remember that what may not look like much as an adult can be a child’s fantasy world!

    @Dora and Valerie- Great ideas, thanks! =)

  4. My Hanna used to love cutting just like this. She’ll still help me cut anytime I ask her–I do not share this love of cutting:-). Emma is precious concentrating so hard, and I love all of her hard work!
    .-= Susana´s last blog ..Jesses 9 month pics-My Faves =-.

  5. Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog

    Emma is really doing a great job with the scissors!! You could laminate them and add some magnets. She could even draw up some scenery and play with them on a baking sheet. She looks like she’s really enjoying herself!
    .-= Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog´s last blog ..Solar-Powered Lunch- =-.

  6. I am very impressed with Emma’s skills. I distinctly remember going through a similar phase, but I am pretty sure I was older. What I wanted is to extend my paper world – I was always looking for adding cars, food items, furniture, etc. to my paper cuts collection, and then I would spend hours playing with all this. It looks flimsy to an adult, but I don’t remember it being flimsy for me – all those things were solid and 3D in my play world and in my imagination.
    .-= Natalie´s last blog ..StArt – The Little Squeegy Bug =-.

  7. Emma is into crafts recently? ok let’s color it & stick it to a wooden photo frame as decoration. I think it’s just cute & nice :-)
    .-= Dora´s last blog ..My XJ Is 1 Today- =-.

  8. Perhaps she could glue them onto paper and make a little book and make up a story to go along with it.

  9. Elisa | blissfulE

    Great cutting! Wow!

    She could arrange a 3D scene in a shoebox. I’m envisioning a ballroom where the princes are all ready to draw swords and defend their ladies from the invading dinosaurs…
    .-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..homemade yogurt =-.

    1. @Marci – That was all Emma – she just started cutting the pictures out one day. She and her scissors have been very good friends lately =)

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