How to Make Construction Paper Cut-Outs
Making cut-outs is a great way to get kids interested in learning. With just some construction paper, scissors and glue, you can provide hours of fun for kids and introduce new characters and vocabulary, or engage them in projects by letting them craft their own favorites.
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Instructions
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Making Cut-Outs
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1
Find drawings of the characters you want to create. Most likely, the characters you want to replicate are featured in the children's book section of your library. Alternately, you may want to create your own generic characters such as a bird, a bear or a mouse, in which case you can either draw them freehand or get clip art from a book or online.
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If you aren't the best at freehand, use tracing paper to get the contours of your characters as they appear on a printed page.
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3
Now separate each character into distinguishable "pieces": arms, legs, tail, head and body.
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4
Copy each piece onto your chosen color of construction paper and cut each piece out.
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5
When you have all of the necessary pieces for one character, pile them together and store them in a labeled envelope or folder.
Using Cut-Outs for Learning
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Introduce a character to your student. You can begin by reading a book about the character or talking about the character.
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Give the student the cut-out pieces and let them figure out how to glue the pieces together to make their character. Ask questions as you go: where does this character live? What does he/she do?
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When the student has assembled the cut-out, use it as a springboard to other activities. Get them to draw a background to paste their character onto, or write a story about their character.
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Tips & Warnings
Added items like "googly eyes," purchased at arts and crafts stores, can make the project more fun as kids put the pieces together.
When students have assembled your cut-outs, ask them what's missing. Taking initiative to add features to a cut-out is a great way not only to get kids engaged but to develop their skills in taking initiative and "fixing" projects.
