Christmas Cutting Tray

If your kids are anything like mine, then they love to snip anything and everything! I always find little scraps and bits of paper, string, cards, foam, cardboard, & ribbon in piles around the house! I thought my daughters would love a chance to snip away as much as they wanted with this bright and festive Christmas Cutting Tray. Without even knowing it, they were working on their scissor skills, fine motor skills, and overall craftiness!

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I started by looking around the house to find some spare wrapping materials that we could use. I found some washi tape, ribbon, colored straws, Christmas tissue paper, yarn, feathers, and necklace cord.

Then it was time for a trip to the Dollar Store where I grabbed some tinsel, a package of bows, a few more packages of ribbon, and some Christmas tissues.

Christmas Cutting Tray for Preschool Fine Motor Scissor Skills

Set it all out in a divided tray with some scissors and you've got yourself a Christmas Cutting Tray!

The girls immediately set to work. Lena, at 5-years-old, is already very good at cutting. 3-year-old Maggie is still getting the hang of it. She explored how to cut very thin material like tissue.

And very thick material, like paper straws.

Lena could hardly believe that I was actually letting her cut all this stuff up. She, especially, loves to snip little bits of things. She ended up cutting this bow into a thousand pieces.

And then she moved on and decided to turn two whole strands of lacing cord into "salad" for me.

The girls both made lots of "presents" for one another. They would cut a pile of bits and then cut some tissue and washi tape to wrap it all up. They've now got little treasures to give to one another at Christmas stowed away in their rooms!

Paired with some nice, relaxing Christmas music, this activity kept my 3 & 5 year old busy for about an hour. We worked together to gather the bigger scraps into a bowl to throw away, and a quick vacuum over the area got the remaining pieces. There was still loads of cutting material left, so I've kept the tray out for them and they've returned to it several times.

This post is part of a 12 Days of Christmas series hosted by Emma Owl. You'll find so much Christmas inspiration-- food, crafts, activities, DIY decor, and more!