As adults, we think of scissors as nothing more than a simple tool for cutting things. If you can think back to when you were little, you may realize that scissors are held in high regard as something cool by small children. Most children love to practice using scissors, and need no more encouragemnt than to be given a pair of scissors and something to cut!
As parents, we worry about giving our little ones something that they could get hurt with. I dare say that we should worry just as much for the safety of our books, magazines and anything else within their reach that can be cut. We have all heard of a child giving himself, the dog, or the dolls a haircut. Learning to use scissors is an important skill that needs to be mastered at some point, and it need not cause so much apprehension.
3 Tips To Make Scissor Practice Better
1. The scissors you give to your little one can be very important.
Scissors made completely from plastic may appear to be safer, but it can be hard to cut anything with them. This leads to frustration for you child, which may cause them to quickly give up.
Blunt-tipped scissors with metal blades cut so much easier, and are really very safe.
Remember that small hands need small scissors. Large handles are much harder for small hands to hold on to, and large blades are more difficult to control. Small scissors are made with these thoughts in mind, and are created just for kids. These smaller scissors are recommended for children to use until they are comfortable with larger ones.
2. What you give your child to cut can make a huge difference. Common household items like newspapers and magazines may appear to be a good choice, but the thiness of the paper is quite difficult for begginers. Other common household items such as construction paper, old greeting cards, or note cards provide a thickness that is much easier to cut through.
Finding a variety of items will be both exciting for your child, and provide a complete learnign experience for them. A quick search through your home is bound to yield a wide range of materials to be cut up. Thin cardboard boxes, such as cereal boxes, are great for scissor practice. Thicker fabric scrapes are great fun to cut through. Play dough, clay, or a simple bread dough is another great material giving an entirely different texture to cut through.
3. Be patient. Let your kids start out doing their own thing. It is bound to get messy, and straight lines will probably not be seen at the beginning. But giving them their own space to experiment can be the best teacher of all. They will figure out how to hold the scissors, and the easiest way to make them work, and you can teach them the finer points later.
As your child improves, let them move on to bigger challenges. Provide your child with thinner types of paper, thinner types of fabric, or draw straight lines for them to follow as they cut. Work up to following along simple shapes as your child finds it easier to use their scissors. Simple shape outlines drawn on fabric or paper can provide double duty as you use the freshly cut shapes in other crafts!
It is a big step for a child to learn how to cut with scossors. It helps them to develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Cutting is something we all need to know how to do. By providing the right tools and materials, and keeping a close eye on the child(ren), we can help them learn this important skill and have fun doing it.
