Paper-Tearing Activities For Preschoolers And Kids To Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

Tired of finding torn pieces of paper here and there? Well, if you have a kid at home, finding pieces of paper in different places will be a normal thing for you. But do you know that tearing is a great workout for your child’s little fingers and is one best and most important exercises for children to build their fine motor skills in early childhood? Therefore, children should actually be encouraged to engage in tear-and-paste activities for nursery children.

How wonderful is it that you don’t need expensive toys to keep your little one busy? A simple activity like tearing paper into small pieces can be fun and satisfying for them.

Let’s look at why we should encourage our kids to tear paper and learn about some paper-tearing activities for our little munchkins!

What Is A Paper-Tearing Activity?

A paper-tearing activity is a simple fine motor activity that requires only paper and your hands. Tearing paper helps children develop many essential skills, like hand strength, hand-eye coordination, precision, refined movements, and more.

What Is Torn Paper Art Called?

You will be surprised to know that torn paper art technique has been around for centuries. This art is all about using torn bits of paper to create different shapes. In Japan, the art of tearing paper to create a collage is called Chigirie. No other material except paper and glue is used to create this art. Kids can do basic paper-tearing art when their motor skills allow them to tear paper and paste scraps on the surface.

When Do Kids Start Learning About Any Paper-Tearing Activity?

Paper tearing is a simple activity that can be done at home with minimum requirements. It can be done as simply as using some old bills, fliers or waste paper and asking the child to tear it up. You can take it up a notch with some more organised activities, which we will discuss later. Let us understand at what age children should be engaged in paper tearing and its benefits.

• Children can start learning about paper-tearing activities right from when they are toddlers.
• The concept as a whole is an excellent way to help them develop the small muscles in their hands.
• It naturally satisfies a toddler’s curiosity.
• It’s a great way for them to explore their senses and learn about texture too.
• The feeling of tearing paper, its sound, and the opportunity to make a mess, all make paper-tearing an appealing activity for children.

Why You Should Encourage Your Child To Tear Paper?

Do you know there are some not-so-famous benefits of tearing paper for kids? Let’s read about these benefits.

1. Enhances Fine Motor Skills

A child uses their fine motor strength to tear the paper. This way, they strengthen the small muscles in their hands, which later help them to hold a pencil when they start writing.

2. Improves Concentration

If you think that tearing paper into tiny bits is a simple task, let us tell you that it requires a lot of concentration when a child tears paper. When a child tears paper, they are engrossed in an activity which encourages them to focus on the task and, therefore, their ability to concentrate improves.

3. Promotes Brain Development

When children tear paper using their fingers, it helps to stimulate their senses (eyes, ears, touch, etc.) and activates their brains and promotes brain development.

4. Encourages Creativity

Paper tearing activities and making art using those tiny bits of paper inspire children to make something using their creative skills. Therefore, you must allow your child some liberty in the execution to encourage their creativity.

5. Understand The Causes And Effects

Small kids are curious about how they can manipulate their environment and what difference and effect their actions might have. Paper tearing activity is a great way for kids to explore this concept.

Tearing Paper Activities Ideas For Kids

Here are some paper tearing activity step by step, for children to benefit from:

1. Paper Tearing Sensory Bin

Materials Needed

• Newspaper
• Printer paper
• Construction paper
• Cardstock
• Cardboard sheet
• Bin/Basket

Instructions

1. Add different kinds of scrap paper to your sensory bin.
2. You can use a newspaper, printer paper, construction paper, cardstock, and even recycled cereal boxes.
3. Ask your child to tear the papers however they want.

2. Tear And Paste Activity For Nursery Kids

Materials Needed

• Coloured paper
• White drawing sheet
• Glue

Instructions

1. Draw a sun or a moon on a sheet.
2. Provide your child with coloured paper and ask them to tear it.
3. Now, they have to fill out the drawing by pasting the coloured bits of paper.
4. Help your kid to understand that the sun is yellow in colour, and the moon is white in colour, etc.

3. Trace The Letter

Materials Needed

• White drawing sheet
• Coloured sheet
• Sketch pen
• Glue

Instructions

1. Write letters in big sizes on different sheets using a sketch pen
2. Give your child some papers to tear.
3. Ask them to cover or trace the letters using paper bits.

4. 3D Torn Paper Art

Materials Needed

• Tissue paper
• Glue
• Water
• Cardboard

Instructions

1. Give some tissue papers to your child and ask them to tear them.
2. Add some glue and water to torn tissue papers.
3. Stir them together to make a nice pulp.
4. Now ask your child to spoon it out onto a piece of cardboard and create a 3-D sculpture or even a tower.

5. Free Collage

Materials Needed

• Papers
• Drawing sheet

Instructions

1. Give some papers to your child and ask them to tear them.
2. Ask your child to create something using the torn papers.
3. Leave your kid to experiment independently and make their own creation.

6. Complete The Picture

Materials Needed

• White paper or tissue paper
• Glue

Instructions

1. Draw a picture of a snowman and ask your child to colour it.
2. Ask your little one to tear snowflakes out of white paper or tissue paper and paste them to complete the picture.

7. Tear A Shape

Materials Needed

• Paper
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Make some shapes, like a circle, square, triangle, etc., on a sheet.
2. Ask your child to tear along the lines of the shape.
3. This way, they will learn about the shapes and tear paper too!

8. Listen And Tear

Materials Needed

• 5 sheets of different colours

Instructions

1. Keep sheets of 5 different colours in front of your child.
2. Now say 1 colour at a time, and your child have to pick up that sheet and tear it.
3. This activity will help children with colour recognition also.

9. Paper Jewellery

Materials Needed

• Coloured Paper
• Wool

Instructions

1. Ask your child to tear paper into big pieces.
2. Next, pass these pieces through the wool to make a nice necklace.
3. Tie a knot to secure the ends, and your necklace is ready.

10. Tear The Wet Paper

Materials Needed

• Water
• Paintbrush
• Sponge
• Paper

Instructions

1. Wet the paper using a paintbrush or sponge.
2. Next, ask your child to tear the wet paper.
3. They can poke or crumble to tear it.

11. Sort And Tear

Materials Needed

• Coloured sheets
• Coloured Bowls (same colours that of sheet)

Instructions

1. Keep 5 matching bowls in a row.
2. Now, give 5 coloured sheets to your child and ask them to place them on the bowl, matching it.
3. Next, they have to tear the paper into the correct bowl.

We hope your child will enjoy these torn paper activities.

Types Of Paper To Use In Paper Tearing Activity

Here is the list of papers that can be used in the paper-tearing activity for kindergarten.

• Old phone books
• Recycled newspapers
• Magazines
• Flyers
• Printer paper
• Notebook paper
• Cardboard
• Recycled food boxes
• Paper bags
• Tissue paper
• Crepe paper
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Napkins
• Paper plates
• Recycled artwork
• Used colouring books
• Used Notebooks
• Old calendars

Also Read:

Fun Paper and Pencil Games for Kids
Nature Inspired Activities for Children Of All Ages
Creative Ocean Activities for Preschoolers and Children