Information Leaflet for Parents – Number 5

Things you should know about

Scissor Skills

It takes time & practice to learn how to cut with scissors. To be able to use scissors correctly, small muscles and movements in the hand need to strengthen and develop.

Scissor skills develop in stages and require appropriate support and practice to develop accordingly.

Stages of scissor skill development

Usually children develop skills in this order –

  1. Holds scissors
  2. Makes single snips
  3. Holds paper whilst snipping
  4. Cuts across paper
  5. Cuts along a straight line
  6. Cuts along a curved line
  7. Cuts around simple shapes (square, circle, oval, triangle)
  8. Cuts around simple shapes with corners and curves (moon, heart, star)

Practice without scissors

Several activities without scissors can help your child to develop the muscles and movements required for cutting with scissors. These include –

  • Using tongs – picking up small objects such as cotton wool balls, small lego blocks, pieces of scrunched up paper or dry pasta.
  • Playing with clothes pegs – placing them around containers such as a tin box or hanging clothes/socks etc. on a line or clothes horse.
  • Using play dough – squeezing, stretching & manipulating play dough with their hands.

Practice with scissors

  • Encourage your child to practice holding scissors so their thumb is on top.
  • Encourage your child to use one hand to hold the paper and the other hand to hold the scissors.
  • Encourage your child to hold both scissors and paper with their thumbs up while pointing the scissors forward.
  • It can help to start with thicker paper or card (e.g. greeting/Christmas cards). These are easier to cut because they hold their position better and do not slip as much as thinner papers. Once your child is cutting forward confidently, try thinner paper.
  • Other materials can be used in scissor practice such as string, play dough or aluminium foil.

ILLUSTRATION OF HOW TO HOLD SCISSORS

The child should be encouraged to put their thumb and middle finger through the loops rather than thumb and index finger. The index finger should be placed on the underside of the scissors, as it assists in directing the cutting movement whilst also providing support.

Activity ideas

Your child might enjoy practicing scissor skills when they are doing a special activity –

  • Cut fringes around a card or paper plate.
  • Cut different textured items for using in a collage e.g. straws, card, coloured paper, bun cases.
  • Cut a picture from a greeting card into pieces to make a puzzle.
  • Cut out pictures on greeting cards to make a picture.

Safety considerations

  • Always supervise your child with scissors.
  • Make sure your child is sitting down to cut.
  • Keep scissors in a place your child can’t easily reach.