Why are cutting skills important?

Cutting with scissors helps to develop and strengthen the little muscles in a child’s hand. Cutting practice also enhances bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together in a controlled fashion), since the child must hold the paper, turn the paper, and cut at the same time. Cutting also requires hand-eye coordination, as visual tracking is necessary to follow the scissors along the paper. Cutting practice helps to strengthen the muscles a child will need for proper grip and motor control when learning to write.

Pre-Cutting Skills

If you have a little one who is not ready for cutting yet or really struggles with grip and control when cutting, you may want to work on some pre-cutting fine motor development. Using a spray bottle is one way to strengthen those tiny muscles. Some examples of spray bottle activities include watering plants, mixing a little paint with water for some fun spray paint art, cleaning a chalk or white board with water, washing toy cars, using the spray bottle at a water table, etc.

Another way to develop those squeeze and release muscles is with grip tools, such as clothespins and tweezers.

Smaller clothespins (like the ones used for baby shower games) can be easier for little fingers. Plastic tweezers are excellent for developing fine motor strength in little hands as well. They make various sizes of kids’ plastic tweezers. The small ones are good for picking up tiny items, like perler beads, and jumbo tweezers (which I find for the best price at Dollar Tree) can pick up slightly larger items, like craft pom poms.

How do I teach my child to use scissors?

For young children, always use safety scissors that are made specifically for them. Safety scissors have a blunt tip, are smaller in size, and less sharp than adult scissors. Safety scissors for school age children can generally be found at local stores, like Target and Wal Mart.

If your little one is working on the squeeze and release action, you can try adaptive training scissors. Some that I have used in the past include spring loaded and loop scissors. These types of scissors are helpful for those just learning to use scissors as they reopen automatically after squeezing. As their fingers get stronger, you can move the spring out of the way (for the spring loaded scissors) or move on to regular blunt tip safety scissors.  Both seem to work well, in my experience. 

You can find the spring loaded scissors with and without a metal blade, so if safety is your greatest concern, you may want to choose the spring loaded scissors without a blade.  Just keep in mind, you’ll most likely need heavier weight paper as these do not cut as well with regular thin printer or notebook paper.  

Model how to hold the scissors, and help your child adjust his/her fingers to hold them properly. Begin by having your child snip paper (making small cuts in the edges of a piece of paper). Once they have mastered this skill, then you can move on to cutting across paper and across lines.

When teaching your child to cut across lines, start with broader strokes/thicker lines. As his/her skills improve, you can make the lines thinner.

Quick Tips For Cutting Practice

• • Be patient. Using scissors requires a lot of practice over time to develop those little hand muscles.

• • Start with heavier paper, like cardstock or construction paper, as it’s a little easier to grip and control when cutting.

• • Your child might not be ready to cut lines and complex designs right away. That’s ok! Let them do less structured cutting activities, such as snipping old magazines, coupons, cereal boxes, etc., until he or she gets the hang of it.

• Have fun! Don’t worry about perfect lines. The purpose of doing these activities is to strengthen those little hands and develop motor coordination.