Are you looking for some fun and engaging activities for February to use in your special education classroom? Look no further, because Simply Special Ed has the perfect activities to help your students with fine motor skills that are also fun! Check out the February Cut and Paste Fine Motor Sheets here.
What Is It?
These fine motor cut-and-paste activities are puzzles that are geared specifically towards February themes. It comes with 4 differentiated versions, including with highlights and without, in color and black and white. These can be used all throughout February and throughout different times during the class day. Let’s review a few different ways they can be used. Below is an example of a version that has highlighted edges, and it is in color.
Craft Time!
These can be fun to incorporate during your craft time to let students choose which picture they would like to do on their own. If using this activity for craft time, use the pictures that are in black and white, so the students can color (paint, draw on, etc.) before cutting and gluing them together. If the student is not able to cut and paste yet, allow them to creatively decorate the picture first to give them a sense of independence before stepping in to teach cutting and gluing. Everyone will have fun decorating these, and they can be used as February classroom or bulletin decorations. Below is an image of a student’s work that was done independently after they decorated the heart.
Independent Work
Do you need to refresh your February independent work boxes? Take one or many of these cut and paste activities, laminate, and velcro them. Now you have a fun and engaging puzzle that can be reused for independent work year after year! I would suggest laminating and velcroing at least one puzzle of each differentiated level, so you can fade out the prompts as they master them.
If a student is not yet at a level where they can put a puzzle together at all without a model prompt to match it to, I have a solution. When you go to print the activity, print 2 pages of the one you want. One of them you will laminate and add velcro to use as the model, then the other one you can cut out the pieces after you laminate and add velcro. They will be able to match the cut-out pieces onto the full puzzle picture. Below is an example of how to make it into a matching puzzle after you laminate both pieces.
Direct Teaching
One more way you can utilize these fine motor cut-and-paste activities is through direct teaching. Some students require direct teaching of cutting, gluing, and coloring in the lines. You can also work on direct teaching with colors, different shapes seen in the puzzles, and also about the holiday of Valentine’s Day. Since the activity is so engaging and fun, your students will not even realize they are learning a new skill! Below is a picture of one of the activities that was black and white (it is colored in), and it has the highlighted edges.
There’s More
The fun does not have to stop in February, though! Simple Special Ed has fine motor cut and paste activities to go with every month’s theme. Grab it in this bundle! Use each month to switch out your independent work with laminating and velcroing, having new crafts, and working on more direct teaching with these. Want more ideas for practicing fine motor skills in the classroom? Check out this blog.
P.S. These are also great to use when you have a substitute or are short-staffed for the day! Just print and go.
Those are wonderful ideas that can be used in the classroom or even at home. Looks like it does help with the fine motor skills, and color recognition.