Why Your Child Needs to Practice Their Preschool Scissor Skills

If you aren’t working with your child on their preschool scissor skills, start today!

Sure children get some practice if they go to a preschool, but additional scissor skills will serve them well as they get older. 

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Are Scissor Skills Fine Motor

Yes, scissor skills are a fine motor skill because they require hand-eye coordination, finger strength and precise control of small hand muscles.

Cutting with scissors helps develop dexterity, grip strength and bilateral coordination, which are essential for writing, dressing and other daily tasks.

When To Start Teaching Scissor Skills

Children can start learning scissor skills around 2 to 3 years old, beginning with hand-strengthening activities like tearing paper or using tongs.

Around 3 to 4 years old, they can practice cutting straight lines and simple shapes with child-safe scissors.

By 5 to 6 years old, most kids can cut more complex shapes with improved control.

Huhuhero Kids Scissors, Small Child Scissor Blunt Tip with CoverWestcott 5 Hard Handle Kids ScissorsFiskars 5 Blunt-Tip ScissorsLIVINGO 5 Small School Student Blunt Kids Craft Scissors

 

Always supervise and use safety scissors when introducing cutting activities!

Why Your Child Needs to Practice Their Preschool Scissor Skills

Scissor skills are super important for kids of all ages to master for a number of reasons:

Strengthen Grip

Scissor skills help child strengthen their grip with the opening and closing of the scissors.

This skill is important for when they start to write, paint and even brush their own teeth.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Practicing cutting helps kids work on their hand-eye coordination.

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Even though we don’t think about it, a child has to process what they see and move their hand to match the cutting lines.

Bilateral Coordination

Cutting makes a child practice their bilateral coordination.

Bilateral what, you ask!

Basically, it’s using both sides of your body.

When your child cuts, they also have to use their other hand to hold the paper, which takes serious skill!

Tip: You may see your child with their elbow all the way out to their side or in another awkward position.

A simple fix is to have your child put a piece of paper in between their arm and side.

Cerbru Baby Montessori Fine Motor Learning ToysLearning Resources Max the Fine Motor MooseMelissa & Doug Lace and Trace Activity Set: 5 Wooden Panels and 5 Matching LacesJCREN Wooden Lacing Apple Threading Toys – Wood Lace Block Puzzle

 

This will help them stabilize their arm and bring their shoulders down, allowing their hands to do the work.

Practice Scissor Skills

One of the main reasons kids have difficulty with cutting is of lack of exposure.

I know when my sons were young, I was afraid to give them kid scissors.

I mean, boys combined with scissors?

What kind of trouble would they get into?

But once my kids entered preschool, I found some great kids scissors they could use during cutting activities without me worrying.

Of course, always keep the scissors in a safe place and out of reach when they aren’t in  use.

Skoolzy Rainbow Lacing Beads for ToddlersJust My Style ABC BeadsMontessori Educational Threading ToysMelissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Lacing Beads

 

We’ve all heard the stories of kids giving themselves hair cuts because they love using their new skill!

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You can use these free printable scissor mazes for practice.