Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Cutting Strips are a sparkly way to practice critical fine motor skills. Add these cutting strips to your next nursery rhyme or space theme!
Music is magic that boosts preschool memories and engages all their senses. Teach your preschoolers this catchy tune while building their confidence with scissors and other fine motor skills.
The twinkle twinkle little star fine motor printable can be used in so many different ways in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. It’s low-prep, you can pair it with a wide variety of materials, and it allows you to meet the individual needs of your students!
Related: Free Preschool Printables
Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to get your own copy of the free printable twinkle twinkle little star tracing strips! Then watch your shining stars undoubtably build confidence in their fine motor skills.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Cutting Strips
This fine motor activity is full of color, whimsy, and allows for hands-on manipulation. Below, I’ll share some tips for getting everything ready, as well as some ideas for how to use them with your students.
How to Prep the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Fine Motor Printables
Before you begin, gather all the needed materials for the twinkle twinkle little star cutting strips. Luckily, this activity is simple to prepare and requires only a few items (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Tracing Sheets (scroll down to request your free printable copy!)
- Printer
- Scissors
- Paper cutter
- Dry erase pockets
- Laminator
Once you have the items you need to prep the pages, grab the supplies your students can use alongside the twinkle twinkle little star sheets:
Once you have the materials you need, it’s time to prep the Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star cutting strips. Print them out, making as many copies as you’d like. Then cut each sheet apart into individual strips.
Related: Fairy Cutting Strips
If you want any of the printables to be reusable, you can laminate them or place them inside dry erase pockets.
How to Use the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Cutting Strips
Once the twinkle twinkle little star fine motor printable is prepared, and all the materials have been gathered, you’re ready to get started!
The primary use of the these cutting strips is to practice scissor skills. So let’s start with that! Start off by modeling and reviewing how to use scissors, as needed. Be sure to remind the children of any scissor-related expectations you have, too. For example, “scissors are for cutting paper” might be a good one for this activity.
Next, ask your preschoolers to cut along the lines, moving from left to right along each strip. Keep in mind that the children might move the paper around a bit to try new positions as they cut. As long as they’re being safe, that’s totally fine.
If any of the kids seem to be struggling, step in and assist as you see fit. You might provide a different type of scissors, for example. Or maybe you can help by holding the paper and showing them how to guide it as they cut.
You can also use the twinkle twinkle little cutting strips to practice tracing with markers. Put the printables in dry erase pouches or laminate them. Then have the children use dry erase markers to trace within the open lines on the pages. Challenge them to use all the colors for even more practice!
More Ways to Use the Star-Themed Cutting Sheets
What are the other ways I have used the twinkle twinkle little star cutting strips? Below are a few ideas I suggest to keep preschoolers practicing:
- Use glitter glue along the lines of the strips. Once it’s dry, have your students gently trace along the glittery lines from left to right. This is great for kids just starting to use these printables.
- Grab some star-themed manipulatives, like buttons, to use with the star tracing pages. Encourage the children to trace over the lines with the buttons. Extend the activity by asking the kids to count how many buttons fit on each line.
- Use dot markers on the twinkle twinkle little star cutting strips. Make it even more engaging by having the kids make patterns with different colors.
- Let the children place stickers along the lines before cutting. This will provide a bit more resistance as they cut, which is a different sensory experience.
- Put the star tracing strips in the bottom of a shallow tray. Top it with star-shaped confetti or sand. Encourage your students to find the lines and use their finger to trace over them.
Are you inspired yet? This list is just the start of the possibilities! Where will your imagination take you? Share how you use your twinkle twinkle little star cutting strips in the comments below!
What Skills are Being Practiced with the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Fine Motor Strips?
Fun is certainly the goal and skill building is important to integrate also. The trick is to make the skill building fun and engaging. That’s when the magic happens!
Here are some of the foundation skills that preschoolers will gain while using the twinkle twinkle little star cutting strips:
- Left to right progression
- Fine motor skills
- Hand strengthening
- Scissor skills
- Pencil grip
- Counting
- Patterns
That’s not even an exhaustive list of all the skills you can teach and practice with these simple star line tracing printables!
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post to request your free printable copy of the twinkle twinkle little star printable!
More Star Activities for Kids
If the twinkle twinkle little star cutting strips are a hit, here are a few more star-themed ideas to try with your students:
I’d love to hear how you incorporate the star-themed printable into your lesson plans!
Nursery Rhyme Tracing Strips
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Click on the image below to learn more about our Nursery Rhyme Tracing Strips for fine motor practice:
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Get the Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star 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 star cutting sheets as a welcome gift!
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
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