Scissor Skills

SCISSOR SKILLS

By Angela Lefere

Kids should be introduced to scissors around the age of 
2 ½. Just snipping edges of paper is expected at this age. Besides safety, the most important thing to teach kids with scissors is to hold them with a “thumbs up” position. The thumb is positioned in the smaller loop and the other fingers are positioned in the larger loop. Sometimes, the pointer finger is left out and “points” the way to cut.   Encourage children to cut with their scissors pointing forward, away from their belly. The tip of the scissors should always be pointed to the front, not sideways. 
Helpful Tips:
• If your child has difficulty opening and closing scissors, a rubber band looped right underneath the small loop helps them spring back easier. 
• When cutting circles, encourage your child to cut to the right to follow the circle’s border. If your child cuts with his left hand, he should cut to the left to follow the circle’s border.  
• Hang a picture of a favorite cartoon or character on the wall opposite of where he is cutting. Remind him to always keep the scissors pointed at the picture. 
• Cue “Thumbs up to cut!” as often as necessary.


Some fun ideas for scissor skills:
• Snip straws- they “jump” far! Then, use tongs to pick them all up. 
• Snip folded over pieces of foil to make rings, jewelry and other flashy things. 
• Practice cutting play-doh hot dogs, cookies, etc. in half.
• Let your child cut out coupons.
• Allow her to cut as she desires on any scrap paper. 
• Draw yellow lines with a black dot to show where she needs to squeeze the scissors close. 
• Use tongs as much as possible! The bunny tongs that are used to hold Easter eggs when you color them are especially good.


Angela Lefere, OTR/L
Angie received a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University. She has 10 years experience working with children with disabilities and their families in both an outpatient clinic and schools. Angie has extensive training in the areas of sensory processing difficulties and sensory integration therapy. Her areas of interest include: Autism Spectrum Disorders, social skills, feeding difficulties related to sensory challenges and Sensory Processing Disorder..

Copyright 2012





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