Teaching kids how to use scissors can be tricky – but it can also be lots of fun! Here are some easy ideas to try!
Kids are ready for their first exposure to cutting with scissors at 2 years old. Sound crazy? Let me clarify, unless your kid looks great with super short bangs or you were thinking your curtains needed a little trim, NEVER (ever ever ever) give a 2-year-old a pair of scissors and then walk away.
Instead, have a seat for a few minutes every so often and try some of these cutting activities for kids! Your kiddo’s first attempts with new developmental milestones will just be exploration and exposure – let them try snipping paper their own way (even if they’re holding the scissors upside down).
Once your child has explored a little bit and is willing to tolerate hand over hand assistance, try the following…
Teaching Kids How to Use Scissors
Start Them Young! Early scissors skills
-Give multiple opportunities for picking scissors up and grasping them the right way by having the child put scissors down in between each cutting task.
-Place stickers on each of your child’s thumbs and then refer to them during cutting. Tell your child to practice “thumbs up cutting”, meaning that they can see both of the stickers on their thumbs while using scissors (on the hand that’s stabilizing the paper and on the hand that’s holding the scissors).
-Practice snipping with a purpose! Snip fringe on paper to make grass or a lion’s mane or set out long strips of paper (about 1” wide) and have kids snip off small pieces to make confetti
Target Practice: Moving Scissors Forward on the Paper
-Place a sticker in the middle of a piece of paper and have the child cut across until he reaches it. Using a target helps kids develop smooth forward movement of scissors and impulse control to stop when they’ve reached the target point.
-Tear a gummy bear or fruit snack in half. Push the sticky part down on the paper (it should stick there by itself) and have the child cut toward it. When they reach the snack, they get to eat it!
–Place stickers in a line across the page and have the child cut the stickers in half as they move scissors forward.
-Encourage kids to move their stabilizing hand along the page as they cut (tell them their hand should move next to their scissors).
The Bottom Line: Developing Accuracy and Control
-Again, target practice helps here! This time, draw a line on the paper first and then place the stickers along the line for kids to cut in half. This gives exposure to the concept of cutting on a line, but provides mini targets along the way
-Next, place only one sticker or your fruit snack (see above) at the end of the line and have the child cut toward the target, keeping scissors on the line.
-Make the cutting lines as thick as they need to be for your child to be successful and gradually make them thinner as the child develops better accuracy.
Get in Shape! Learning to Cut Out Shapes
-Draw a dotted line from the edge of the paper to show your child where to cut into the paper to reach the shape.
-Draw an arrow on the paper indicating which direction the child should go when cutting around the shape. Right-handed kids will cut in a counterclockwise direction, left-handed kids will cut in a clockwise direction.
-Draw a dot or place a sticker at a point past the corner of the shape, showing the child that he has to cut further than the line in order to turn the corner without snipping it off.
Check out the rest of these ideas for practicing cutting with kids:
Teaching Kids How to Use Scissors
Beginner Cutting Skills for Toddlers and Young Kids
Cutting Kit: Cutting Activities for Preschoolers and Young Kids
Meet Me in the Middle Cutting Activity
Latest posts by Claire Heffron (see all)
- Groundhog Day Activities: Groundhog Obstacle Course - January 26, 2023
- Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids: Hearts & Arrows Visual Game - January 24, 2023
- Snowman Activity for Kids: Snowman Charades - January 22, 2023
Thank you so much for stopping by our FB Playful Preschool Share day. #4 works well for me when teaching kids! I have shared a link back to this post here http://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2013/12/preschool-reindeer-crafts-and-learning.html
Thank you for the link back, Amanda, and for taking the time to leave us a comment!
Hi! I found you from the After School Link up! I love this idea and pinned it. I’m also following you now so I don’t miss your new posts! :)
Hi Becky! Thank you! Bravo for your literacy site also! We will be following you back! Happy Holidays!
i like the idea of stickers on thumbs to guide hands. Another way to discourage upside down scissoring is to hang the paper and they cut UP it!
Great idea Barbara! Will be adding that to my list of cutting activities! :)
I like to have kids cut in prone too :)
Hi! I am a big fan of your site! I would like to know what to do when kids make movements with their tongues and mouth while using scissors. How can we help them out so that they don’t do it anymore, as they may continue doing these movements while writing as well.
Thanks!!
Oh my goodness Janeth! You read our minds! We have just started working on a post about this exact topic – stay tuned! :)
I sometimes give my clients a sucker to separate the mouth and hand, but was just trying to find more ideas!! Is this residual reflex showing up? I would love to read the blog post you referenced – is it completed? Thanks for everything!