Christmas Tree Cutting Activity

This Christmas tree cutting activity is a great way to help your child practice cutting around corners. Your child will need to cut out three triangles and a small rectangle to create this tree.

Decorating the completed trees is another way to include fine motor skills in this activity - at the end of this page I will show you how to do this!

You will need:

  • Scissors for your child
  • Glue to paste the shapes together
  • Decorations (eg stickers, or small pieces of crepe paper to crumple)
  • Template printed on cardstock - download your free printable template from this page
    - the color template has the shapes already colored in, and you can print it on white card stock.
    - the black and white template has the outlines of the shapes and you can either print them on colored card stock or on white card stock for your child to color.

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Instructions:

Most of the photos for this Christmas tree cutting activity show the black and white template which has been colored in, as this was my child's choice. But the same cutting technique applies for both!

Step 1: Prepare the Shapes

Have your child color in the shapes if desired.

We are working on wrist extension by doing this on a wall using a flat crayon to rub over the shapes.

Separate the shapes to make it easier for your child to handle the paper when cutting them out.

I simply cut the paper into 2 sections.

Step 2: Cutting Out

Have your child cut out the shapes.

Remember to make sure your child uses the scissors correctly and goes around the paper correctly.

See this page for more tips to help your child cut well.


My child was able to tackle the smaller shapes, but you may need to assist with the star, or leave it out altogether.

Step 3: Assemble the Tree

Assemble the pieces and paste them onto a background page as shown.

I preferred a darker background, but my child chose white.

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Decorate The Tree!

Build more fine motor skills with this Christmas tree cutting activity!

Outline the tree with a crayon - this works on visual-motor integration as your child traces around the tree.

Cut crepe paper into small strips (see how to cut the strips quickly and easily)

Use the tripod fingers to crumple the crepe paper into small balls. (This is explained in detail on my finger exercises page.)

If you like this craft, but want to have the template and the instructions in an accessible format, then check out my free Christmas Scissor Cutting Printables!

fine motor christmas treeThe completed tree!

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If your child struggled with this Christmas tree cutting activity, try my scissor skills and cutting templates resources to help your child develop better scissor skills.




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Christmas Paper Craft & Cutting Printables!

A variety of fun, simple paper crafts and cutting activities suitable for kids from preschool to early elementary.

Over 17 different paper crafts (over 40 possible templates) with photographed instructions.

View My Printable Christmas Scissor Cutting Templates!

Great Christmas activities and printables from OT Mom!
Build your child's skills with these OT Mom e-books!



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