Nature Cutting Bin: A FREE Kids Activity

What is a nature cutting bin?

I decided to play gardener one spring day (which is always a scary game for the plants in my yard). Everything out there needed a little spring planty-hair cut (I’m sure that’s the professional term), but instead of tossing the clippings right into the yard waste bin, I put them into a dish pan.

And made nature cutting bin.

It’s free, it’s easy, it’s a perfect part science, part sensory, part fine motor skills activity. It’s everything.

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Why you should create a cutting bin

I first found out about this idea from my dear friend at Play Teach Repeat.

What I learned from her was a few invaluable lessons on teaching cutting skills:

1. Start young. We often think of cutting as a school skill, but kids need to learn this BEFORE kindergarten.
2. Use non-paper materials. Take cutting off the dotted line worksheet and into the real world. A plant is a much easier and more forgiving surface to cut than a piece of paper.

What I love about this activity is the simplicity. My outside chore – trimming and dead heading plants – became an activity.

We reused something that was doomed for the yard waste.

No muss, no fuss, no extra expense.

Why is a nature cutting bin so important?

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make Pinterest perfect kids activities when really, our kids just need simple, fun, and engaging ideas that often cost little to no money.

This activity is so important for kids for two main reasons:

1. It helps kids develop cutting skills.
2. It gives them a chance to be UP CLOSE and personal with plants. It’s a science moment the way they explore and notice parts that they may have otherwise missed as they race past a bush in the yard.

When should kids start using scissors?

It’s up to you when your kids begin using scissors but personally, I like introducing scissors between ages 2-3 years old.

This gives kids time to explore scissors between ages 3-4 years old.

And it sets them up for scissor proficiency as they end preschool and head off to kindergarten.

Scissors skills are really important in kindergarten. Kids feeling confident and independent with scissors is an often overlooked kindergarten readiness skills. When kids are no proficient in cutting as a kindergartener, they rely on the teacher for help which slows down and impedes their learning of the actual materials.

“One weird trick” for teaching kids to cut

On your child’s thumb, draw a smiley face.

While they are cutting, remind them to “keep the thumb up” or “make sure you can see your thumb smile.” This is an easy way to correct them as they twist and tilt their hands in off directions.

Kids are so much more successful when they have this visual to remind them where their thumb and hands should be.

What about left-handed kids?

Fun fact: I’m left-handed. So is my husband. NONE of our kids are.

We both learned to cut using right-handed scissors (and for us, in our right hands). We both self taught and have no memory of actually learning to cut. We used what was available to us (and right-handed scissors were all we had).

I’m so glad I learned to use right-handed scissors because the rest of the world doesn’t own left handed ones. They aren’t readily available to use. When I was a teacher or when I’d go to friend’s houses and needed to trim something, I was so glad I knew how to use right-handed scissors or I’d be sunk.

We lefties, in general, are great at adapting. We do it with lots of things that right-handed people probably don’t think twice about (like a ten-key, computer mouse, potato peeler, and a stick shift). It comes with the lefty territory and in my humble opinion, scissors are another area where we just learn to adapt.

*Some lefties use right-handed scissors in their left hand. If you have a lefty at home, follow their lead as they learn to cut.

Susie Allison, M. Ed

Owner, Creator

Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.