Teaching Preschoolers How to Use Scissors

By Aarohi Achwal - Updated: October 31, 2018

In this Article

How to Teach a Child to Cut with Scissors

Cutting skills for preschoolers serve as an essential development milestone as they prepare them for writing and improving coordination skills. Also, by learning how to use scissors properly, little ones are better prepared for their craft activities. Here are some easy ways of teaching scissor skills to your kid.

The tiny hands of a preschooler need time and assistance to master scissor skills. Preschooler-friendly scissors are best used for 3-year-old kids, so that by the time they start school, they learn how to use proper scissors. While introducing scissors to your child, begin by showing her how she needs to use her forefinger, middle finger and thumb to hold scissors.

How to Teach a Child to Cut with Scissors

1. Scissor Safety for Preschoolers

Before parents start teaching this development milestone, they must set some safety rules with them. Show your kid how to hold a pair of scissors correctly. Give her scissors with closed metal blades facing you and ask her to put her thumb in one loop, and forefinger and middle finger together in the other. Make it very clear to your kid that she isn’t supposed to run with them and that she should always put the tool back in its designated place after closing the blades.

2. Gradual Progress

Once you are sure that your little one is holding her pair of scissors properly, ask her to cut a piece of paper along a thick broad line. After this, you may give shapes for preschoolers to cut out. Give her bigger shapes to cut first and slowly reduce the size of the shapes. See to it that the paper is sturdy enough as preschoolers will find it difficult to cut flimsy papers. When your child begins cutting, notice her hand preference; in case, she has right-hand dominance encourage her to use her left hand to hold the paper.

3. Advanced Techniques

Once your child has fairly developed scissors cutting skills, introduce her to simple hand-over-hand cutting techniques, ways of cutting folded paper, etc. After your child learns to manipulate her hands while cutting, she will no longer try to manoeuvre her scissors upside down. By observing your shuffling motions, she will also learn to control the paper that she needs to cut.

4. Interesting Paper Cutting Activities for Preschoolers

Snake slicing, fringes, and collages will help in retaining your child’s interest in cutting. Kids enjoy cutting play dough too. Make a snake using play dough and let your child have fun slicing it. Give colourful papers to your child and ask her to create fringes. Get some old pictures from newspapers or magazines and cut them out to make a collage. At all times, ensure scissor safety for kids to avoid nips and cuts.

5. Adaptive Scissors

In spite of all your efforts, if your kiddo is still unable to hold or use a pair of scissors properly, give her adaptive scissors. Preschoolers find it easy to control these special scissors while cutting papers. They are much easier to grip, and to open or close. They ensure scissor safety rules for kids as well.

Remember, teaching kids to use scissors takes a lot of practice. Is there any other easy way to develop scissor skills in children? Share your experiences with us.

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