Teaching Your Toddler to Use Scissors

By Aarohi Achwal - Updated: January 7, 2019

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Tricks for Teaching a 3-Year-Old to Use Scissors

As an introduction to cutting, get home toddler safety scissors. The dull edges of this scissor will minimize the risk of cuts to your little user. Hand hold your child through the process till she starts working with scissors independently.

Cutting with a scissor requires certain finger separation skills, which children master only by the age of six. Of course, it’s good to start early , as it helps in building motor skills. Here’s our take on teaching children to hold and use scissors.

Tricks for Teaching a 3-Year-Old to Use Scissors

1. Finding The Right Scissors

Invest in beginner scissors, which are spring loaded.It’s easy to manipulate the pair by using her whole hand and not just the fingers. It doesn’t matter at what age toddlers start using scissors, once they are comfortable with these adaptive scissors they can be introduced to other types of advanced scissors soon. Here, it’s essential to consider whether your child is right handed or left handed. Make sure to get a pair specifically designed for their needs.

2. Hold it Right

It’s important for a child cutting with scissors to get the right grip. Show your kids how you hold the scissors correctly and encourage them to copy you. They might not get it right the first few times. Explain how the thumb needs to be put into the smaller hole, and the index and middle finger into the bigger hole. Ask her to open and close the scissors. This is essential for building the necessary strength and coordination to work with this cutting instrument.

3. Cut Lines and Shapes

Draw thick lines on a paper and teach your child to cut along the line. This will teach her better scissor control. Once you feel your child is comfortable cutting along the lines on paper, start introducing shapes. Draw circles, squares, triangles etc., and show how to cut them neatly. Remember to get thick paper for such beginner cutting activities. Continue to practice cutting with scissors for kids and watch your child master this skill soon.

4. Go Snip Snip!

Once your child has a fair understanding of how to operate a scissor, teach her how to make fringes. These are formed when you continuously snip, without cutting the paper into half. Fringe cutting helps in improved hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and bilateral coordination in children. Therein, lies the biggest benefits of scissor cutting skills in toddlers.

5. Safety Rules

While organising cutting activities for toddlers remember to teach them about the safety rules of working with a scissor. Tell her that she can use scissors only during craft hours for cutting paper and not at any other time. Encourage her to use scissors, only when there is an adult around. Don’t forget to tell her that she is not supposed to run or chase anyone with scissors in hand.

So, if you’ve been wondering how to teach a child to use scissors, there you go! Don’t worry, if she’s a messy cutter to begin with, just help her develop fine motor skills and keep broadening her creative horizon.

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Aarohi Achwal

Aarohi Achwal holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a master’s degree in English Literature. While working as an intern for an English daily, she realised that she likes writing above anything else. The idea of being heard without having to speak appeals to her. She likes to write research-based articles that are informative and relevant. She has written articles on pregnancy, parenting, and relationships. And she would like to continue creating content on health and lifestyle.