Teaching Children To Cut With Scissors

If they do not just catch it in the beginning, be patient and guide them. How to prevent them from becoming discouraged.

Teaching children how to cut with scissors  can be an exciting process that contributes to their development of fine motor skills. 

The main goal of the children is to develop the movements that allow them to use their fingers, hands and eyes in a coordinated way.

Cutting with scissors can strengthen their muscles in the hands. It can also stimulate the skills they need to handle other tools in the future. 

By learning to cut with scissors, children will also be prepared to use other tools, such as pencils, buttons and knives.

The act of cutting also promotes the coordination between hands and eyes. The sight allows the child to recognize the shape and orient the hands so that they make the necessary movements.

Cutting also requires asymmetrical and synchronized coordination with both hands. The child must use one hand to hold the scissors and the other hold to hold on to what  is to be cut.

As a mother, you need to help your children learn while you are patient. Your kids will need time to learn how to use scissors properly.

4 tips for teaching your child to cut with scissors

To make the task less expensive, here are some  tips that can help children gain the skills to use a pair of scissors quickly. 

Here are 4 tips to teach your child to use scissors:

Use appropriate scissors

It is important that your child uses scissors that fit the little hands. You should choose simple scissors  that have plastic blades that only allow you to cut in paper. 

The scissors must also have round ends so that they ensure the safety of the child. 

If the child’s hands are not large enough to open and close the scissors, it  means that he or she is still too small to learn to cut.

If the child is left-handed, try to find a left-handed pair of scissors as this will make the process a little easier for your child.

Keep all of this in mind when looking for a suitable pair of scissors for your child.

2. Learn to open and close the scissors

The first thing your child needs to learn when he or she has to learn to cut with scissors is to be able to open and close the scissors with one hand.

Sooner or later, the child will be able to perform this action. The child can start out using both hands. 

You can try a few exercises for your child so that he or she gets used to his or her first pair of scissors, by performing opening and closing movements with his hands.

A good start would be to only practice with your hands at the beginning, and then they can try with the scissors. 

3. Develops precision

Once your child is comfortable enough using the scissors to make basic movements,  you can begin to develop the child’s precision with simple activities. 

A good example, of a simple activity, is to put a sticker in the middle of a piece of paper. You then need to get your child to cut towards the sticker.

You can also draw a line on a piece of paper and have your child cut along it. 

You can increase the width of the line, and gradually the degree of difficulty, according to your child’s skills with the scissors.

Try using these simple precision exercises in the beginning to motivate your child’s learning process.

4. Develops control

When your child can cut straight lines, and has control over the scissors, it  means he or she is ready to cut different shapes. Your child can start by drawing squares, rectangles and circles on paper.

In the beginning, it  can be difficult to cut out circles, as it can be difficult to change direction with the scissors. 

If your child has difficulty cutting triangles, you can show how to stop at the corner, and then turn the blade in a different direction so that you can continue cutting.

Once the child has control over the scissors, he or she can easily move it around the outline of objects, and the silhouettes of his or her favorite characters.

Finally,  when teaching your child to cut, it is important that you allow him or her to experiment individually. 

Although he or she may occasionally get a small cut in the hand, you should let your child improve his or her skills through experience.