When should young children start using scissors? Facilitating scissor skill acquisition is of primary interest to teachers and parents of young children. The journey to proficient scissor use follows a sequence of learning how to first rip, then snip, and finally cut. Remember, each child is on his or her developmental path to scissor skill proficiency. Providing appropriate-level skill practice at home and school supports future scissor skill mastery. Children benefit from daily opportunities to rip, snip, and/or cut. Here are some tips to incorporate scissor skill development objectives into your classroom or home setting:
Rip: Provide a "Rip Box" or baby pool filled with a variety of thick paper media (i.e. construction paper, index cards, magazine inserts) and watch young children rip- away! The ripping action facilitates the tripod grasp with hands ripping the paper in opposite directions. Long Animal Grabbers, Bug Catchers, and Wooden Tongs also help children experience the "open-close" hand movement associated with cutting before they actually use scissors.
Snip: Snipping with scissors means that one snip does the job. Children will love to snip over the "Snip Box" many different items such as grass, sandpaper, Play Doh, straws, and Cheetos - no paper yet! I recommend Fiskars scissors for children as they begin to snip a variety of media. Fiskars are available at Wal-Mart and Office Depot - I like Fiskars because they do not have a bias to the blade, which means they can be used with right-handers, left-handers, and those whose dominance is not yet established.
Cut: Cutting using multiple cut strokes is best practiced on thick paper types initially without lines. Next, incorporate bolded, straight lines to encourage cutting accuracy. Cutting on curves starts on round paper plates progressing to more complex curves such as bolded "S"-shape lines. Please note that cutting on angles and complex patterns is most challenging. Children's skills will continue to refine into the elementary school years.
Method for Documenting Scissor Skill Progress: We hope you love our latest product - Lollipop Friends! Educators can use this assessment tool to document
progress and engage in productive conversations with a parent about his/her child's cutting skill progress. Incorporate the Lollipop Friends Assessment Booklet into a student's cutting project portfolio to capture multiple reflections of the student's journey to cutting skill proficiency! Lollipop Friends is available as a single booklet for use with one child or as a class set of 25 booklets at a 20% savings.
Happy Scissoring...Write Out of the Box!
Marianne
