Improving scissor skills is one of the most important activities for preschool children. Cutting perfectly develops fine motor skills, improves finger movement coordination, and has a good impact on thinking. To help you take your kids’ creative development to the next level and develop skills in using scissors, we want to offer several games that will keep children interested and make learning more fun.
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How to teach a child to use scissors: games and exercises
There are plenty of exercises to help develop fine motor skills and teach your children how to use scissors, but in this article, you will find only six activities that we think are the best.
Cut out zigzags
Use sheets of paper with wide, dotted lines designed for toddlers who are just learning to use scissors or simply draw various zigzags, waves, and lines on strips of colored paper with a marker. The younger the child, the larger the figures should be. Encourage your child to cut along the line with scissors.
Cutting out the feathers
Another fine motor exercise is cutting paper feathers. Cut feathers out of colored paper and draw the line in the center of feathers. The child’s task is to make cuts towards the center of the feather without going over the line.
Game for improving scissor skills “Cut the snake”
When your child has learned to cut the paper in simple lines, invite him to cut in a spiral. A great option would be the classic task with a spiral snake.
Scissor skills activity “Unicorn and rainbow”
To make it more fun for the children, glue the unicorn sticker on the scissors blade and the strips of paper, draw a rainbow and a path to it in the form of a wavy line or zigzag. The essence of the game is to make the unicorn jump to the rainbow by cutting a sheet of paper along the drawn line.
Hairdresser game
Invite your child to cut hairstyles out of colored paper for children or cartoon characters drawn on a piece of paper. You can find suitable pictures on the Internet or draw characters on your own or with your child. It will be even more fun if you play hairdresser using a paper plate. The idea is the same: draw a face and hair, then hand the child scissors to make a haircut.
Cut the play dough
You can roll out the multi-colored play dough and then invite your child to cut it into pieces. Please note that only elastic dough is suitable for this; the plasticine will stick to the scissors.
Age features of working with scissors
- 2-3 years. It is better to give toddlers scissors with a lock of an open state so that the hand does not get too tired. Start teaching your children to cut with the simplest tasks (for example, asking them to cut a thin strip into pieces). Never leave a baby working with scissors unattended!
- 3-4 years. At this age, children continue to learn simple cutting techniques. You can let your child carve geometric shapes (square, triangle, rhombus) and actively use templates for cutting along lines.
- Over four years old. At 4-5 years old, children are already given assignments for cutting shapes from colored paper for applique. At this age, children usually have a great interest in various hand-made crafts. By arranging an exhibition of your children’s work at home, you will perfectly support their motivation.
You can prepare materials for cutting yourself: blanks made of colored paper and thin cardboard, newspapers, magazines. Keep the materials for cutting on sight, and the child will certainly be interested in them. Show your children a personal example, let them see how you cut, and then together decide what you can create from the cut-outs.
The most important thing is to choose quality tools for your child. Scissors should be well-sharpened to easily cut paper and cardboard, but be sure to choose scissors with rounded tips so that the baby does not get hurt. The scissors should fit comfortably in the child’s hand, so you need to select the tool individually for each small craft lover. Big craft stores, like CraftOnline, offer a wide range of scissors in different shapes, sizes, and purposes, so you are sure to choose and get yours.
Conclusion
Now you know the main points to consider while teaching your child how to use scissors. Choose scissors carefully. The child should not get tired when working with them. Pick up materials for cutting that are bright and interesting for your kid (these can be both self-made templates and branded manuals). Start showing your child how to cut using the simplest tasks and gradually increase the difficulty. Start cutting only when the child himself wants it. If the baby is not interested in this activity, put it aside and offer it after a while.
We hope our tips will help you spend time with your child in a fun and useful way!
Featured Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels
