Fine Motor Activity: Cutting Straws

When I spot an idea for an activity I know my kids will love, I save it on my phone and then try to make it happen in the coming weeks.

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When I saw the simple idea of cutting straws as a way to strengthen fine motor skills (and provide a fantastic opportunity for scissor practice), I knew my kids would be 100% on board!

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I grabbed some colorful straws I had on hand in one of my kitchen drawers, a tray for my kids to use to contain their "mess," and a pair of child-safe scissors for each of them!

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We kicked things off by cutting our straws in half…and then half again…and then half again…and on and on it went until we had tiny little pieces.

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One of my kiddos had been learning about halves, so that was the perfect way to extend this activity for them!

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We also did some measuring, which is another skill we’re working on right now – and something they love to do! Then, I let them free cut – and they played for a long time.

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Another fun idea: Your kids can thread the cut up pieces of straw onto pipe cleaners – another great fine-motor skills activity, but also a chance to practice creating patterns.

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Don’t skip the free play/exploring piece of this as I believe some of the BEST learning happens when we let our kids guide the way!

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SWIPE UP TO LEARN MORE!

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