Children need to learn how to use scissors before starting kindergarten. At our CEFA Early Learning schools, we introduce our young students to scissors by first offering material other than paper to cut, as cutting paper is more difficult. One of the materials our children love to explore is cooked spaghetti!

This activity will offer your child an opportunity to practice their scissor skills, and at the same time, provide plenty of sensory stimulation!

Best Ages for This Activity

Two to five

How to Make It

Ingredients

  • Water
  • 1 box if uncooked spaghetti (you don’t have to make that much, you can make enough just to fill a large bowl of you prefer)
  • If you want to make coloured spaghetti, here are the directions
  • A bowl or sensory bin. If you tried the soft spaghetti sensory bin activity, you already have the spaghetti, so all you need to do is add scissors and supervise!

 Let’s Get Started!

  • Cook your spaghetti as you usually do. Once al dente, run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • Shake off any excess water.
  • Add 1 tbsp of oil (any oil you like) to the pasta to stop it from becoming sticky.
  • Put your pasta in the sensory bin or bowl and offer your child a pair of safety scissors to cut the pasta with. If it is your child’s first-time using scissors, demonstrate how to use them.

Learning Opportunities

Children learn a lot by practicing cutting with scissors. They develop fine motor skills, which are essential for your child to learn to write. They also develop hand-eye coordination and bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body at the same time while each hand [or side] is performing a different task). All of these skills are a fundamental part of our CEFA Early Learning schools writing curriculum, as well as our physical education curriculum.

Because you are using spaghetti, you are providing sensory stimulation. This builds neuronal pathways, which helps your children learn. It also supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving and a way to relieve anxiety, amongst many more benefits.

Extended Learning Opportunities

Next time you make spaghetti for dinner, offer your scissors instead of a knife to cut the spaghetti in their plate – it will be much easier for them, and provide one more opportunity for practicing cutting with scissors!