Gingerbread Man cutting strips are a fun extension activity after reading the classic folk tale with your students. Be sure to check out the rest of my cutting strips once you’re done here.
You can add the gingerbread line tracing printables to a theme about the gingerbread man, as well as a unit on cooking or baking! Whenever you incorporate them, your students will have a blast as they practice important early learning skills.
I love that the gingerbread man fine motor sheets are low-prep AND versatile! You can have them ready to use tomorrow morning. And they’ll work well with a wide variety of materials, many of which you likely already have in the classroom.
Related: Free Preschool Printables
Make sure you scroll to the bottom of this post to request your free printable gingerbread man tracing strips. Then prepare to be amazed at how quickly they improve their scissor skills!
This post will explain to you a variety of ways to use these printables plus tips on how to prepare them. I have no doubt that you will come up with some fantastic ways to use these in your preschool plans.
Gingerbread Man Cutting Strips
These gingerbread cutting strips are anything but boring. Read below for some tips for prepping the printables, as well as a few ideas for how to use them with your students.
How to Prep the Gingerbread Fine Motor Strips
First things first – grab the materials you’ll need to prepare the cutting printables. Here are some of the basic supplies you will need (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Gingerbread Cutting Strips (scroll down to request your free printable copy!)
- Printer
- Scissors
- Paper cutter
- Dry erase pockets
- Laminator
That’s it! I bet you already have most of these supplies on-hand in your preschool classroom. If you want to expand these activities for more fine motor practice here is a list of extra supplies, you might consider:
This list of materials can be changed based on how you decide to use the printables. And don’t forget to check the supplies you already have available!
Related: Gingerbread Man Calendar Numbers
Now that you have the supplies you need, it’s time to prep. It doesn’t take much, as I mentioned above! First, print out the cutting pages, making as many copies as you’d like. Then cut the pages apart into individual gingerbread tracing strips. And that’s it!
You can take things a step further if you want the printables to be reusable. Simply laminate them or place the pages in dry erase pockets.
How to Use the Gingerbread Man Cutting Strips
The first way I’m going to suggest to use the printable is right there in the title of this post! Use them to model and practice scissor skills with your students.
Be sure to encourage moving from left to right as much as possible. Since some of your students might be new to using scissors, they might move the gingerbread cutting strips around a bit. That’s perfectly fine. We want them to have a fun way to practice using scissors, rather than worrying about perfection.
Related: Gingerbread Messy Play Ideas
You can also place the gingerbread man cutting strips in dry erase pouches or laminate them. Then have your students trace the lines with a dry erase marker. Repetition is key, so ask them to trace pattern with different colors to increase mastery. Turn it into a fun game by challenging them to use every color of marker they can find!
See some of our cutting strips in action in the video below:
You can definitely adapt this activity as needed to meet the needs of each student. For example, auto-open scissors can be a huge help for those who need them. Or maybe some of your kids need you to help guide them as they cut or trace the lines.
More Ways to Use the Gingerbread Man Cutting Sheets
As promised, here are a few more ways to use the gingerbread man cutting strips with kids:
- Let the children use crayons and markers to rainbow write along the lines. This is a fun way to explore colors alongside fine motor skills.
- Grab some gingerbread man buttons to trace over the lines from left to right. Other gingerbread-themed manipulatives would work well here. Maybe even some small gingerbread man cookies!?
- Add glitter glue to lines. Then have the kids trace over the dried glitter glue.
- Give the children stickers to place along the lines. Once the stickers are in place, they can use scissors to cut. The stickers will add a different sensory feel to the cutting process.
- Ask the children to roll out playdough “snakes” to trace over the lines!
How do you intend to use these gingerbread cutting strips for your preschoolers? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below!
What Skills are Being Practiced with the Fine Motor Strips?
I love that the gingerbread line tracing sheets provide a fun way for children to explore so many early learning skills! Here are a few of the skills preschoolers will practice with the gingerbread man cutting strips:
- Left to right progression
- Fine motor skills
- Hand strengthening
- Scissor skills
- Pencil grip
- Counting
- Patterns
As you can see, there are many early literacy and math skills to practice with the gingerbread printables. Each of these skills are critical for early reading and math practice.
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post to request your free copy of the gingerbread man cutting strips free printable!
More Cutting Practice Activities for Kids
Here are a few more ideas to try with your students as you explore the concept of cutting:
I think they’re all a great follow-up to the gingerbread man cutting strips!
Favorite Folk Tales Tracing Strips Set
We created my sister site, Preschool Teacher 101, to save teachers like you a TON of time! We have lesson plans, math games, fine motor activities, teacher guides, dramatic play packs, circle time songs, and so much more! All ready to go for you, so you can spend time connecting with and teaching your students.
Click on the image below to learn more about our Favorite Folk Tales Tracing Strips:
That’s not all! Click on the images below to explore more gingerbread themed activities:
If you love these products and want more make sure to check out The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101. Our members get regular access to our products and a steep discount.
Request a Copy of the Gingerbread Man Cutting Strips
This free printable is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, fill out the form below and the download links will be sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form. Then you’ll receive the gingerbread line tracing printable as a welcome gift!
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
The post Gingerbread Man Cutting Strips Free Printable appeared first on Fun-A-Day!.