SCISSORS SKILLS | Activities for Toddlers

Over the last few weeks we’ve been working a lot with scissors, little J’s recent crush!!
Seeing loads of scissors activities on my gallery, I just wanted to pen down our experience by elaborating why, when and how we started practicing scissors and our journey so far!:) 

Why do we need to introduce scissors to toddlers? 

Because practicing with Scissors helps in improving kid’s

• Finger muscles strength
• Hand-eye co-ordination
• Visual tracking skills
• Fine Motor Skills and much more.

Above all, it is one of the important life skills 🙂

When can we introduce scissors?

In my point of view, there are no certain age criteria to impart a skill. Undoubtedly we can proceed when the kid starts showing interest, pays attention, and listens to us.

In our case, little J at around 2 years old has started showing more interest on scissors cutting especially while seeing us using in front of him. That is exactly when we started practicing scissors. 

How to start with scissors?

1. Prerequisite skills 

Before introducing scissors there are certain prerequisites that we need to work on!
First, we need to involve them in lots of simple activities to strengthen their hand & finger muscles such as

2. Choosing Good Scissors

The most important initial step is choosing a Good Scissor, to begin with!

• Ensure that the scissors are ‘perfectly small’ for little hands to hold
• Then, totally safe with ‘blunt point’, still sharp enough to cut papers.
• And choose the appropriate scissors according to the kid’s hand dominance.

3. Things we followed

• During the initial days, we practiced scissors mostly on old newspapers & rough papers by folding them into 3 to 4 layers just for extra grip while holding.
• Next, I personally observed that using a desk or table to rest the arms while practicing scissors would be more convenient for kids.
• Then to help him hold the scissor correctly many times I sat beside him and showcased how am I using it & I often insisted him gently to hold it correctly whenever he went wrong.
• Lastly, I always allow independent usage of scissors emphasizing certain conditions such as
  ⚠️Avoid walking/playing with a scissor in hand.
  ⚠️Using scissors only for cutting papers or other things given to him.
  ⚠️The blades should not be touched at any cause

List of 6 Easy Scissors Activity Ideas to begin with!

1️⃣ Firm leaves are easy to hold & provides control while using scissors on it.

2️⃣ Straws are again firm & ease the cutting process.

3️⃣ Straight lines drawn on thick sheets got from carton boxes. It’s a simple way to start tracing & cutting using scissors.

4️⃣Cardboard with thread fasten on it in different ways makes cutting more interesting for kids.

5️⃣ Haircutting for our paper cup buddy, a playful version of scissor activity

6️⃣ Trimming Sun rays is yet another playful version of scissor activity🌞

Lastly, Please check my board on Pinterest for many more SCISSORS ACTIVITIES We hope this post may help someone who wants to practice scissors with a toddler. And we would love to know your experience in the comments:)
Happy cutting😃