Cutting with scissors requires the skill of hand separation, which is the ability to use the thumb, index, and middle fingers separately from the pinkie and ring fingers. This can be challenging for a youngster with small hands. Although many 3- or 4-year-olds have the skills needed to snip and cut, scissor skills are not fully developed until around age 6.
Select Good Scissors.
Scissors come in a variety of sizes, so search for a pair that fits your child's hand. For an inexperienced cutter, select scissors with a blunt point, and give them a trial run to make sure the blades are sharp enough for cutting. Dull scissors can fold the paper instead of cutting it.
Bamm has three great options in stock the Staedtler 14cm School Scissors, the Adel School Scissors - Spring Loaded and the Adel School Scissors with Blunt Tip, all options are ideal for the inexperienced cutters.
Left-handed children should always use left-handed scissors, Bamm offers the Staedtler Left hand Scissors. The upper blades on true left-handed scissors are on the left side so that children can see the cutting line. Beware of scissors that are supposedly ambidextrous; although these can easily be held with the left or right hand, the upper blade is still on the right side, which makes it difficult for lefties to see the cutting line.
Children with special needs, hand weakness, or coordination problems may need special or adaptive scissors to start, though many are able to progress to regular scissors over time. There are various types of adaptive scissors that work well for children with physical limitations. One is spring scissors, which automatically spring open after being squeezed closed. These scissors are useful for a child with limited strength or coordination or children just starting to learn. The Adel School Scissors - Spring Loaded has the additional feature of the spring loaded mechanism, which are ideally suited for these situations.
'Safety scissors' are not always the best option for beginners, as all too often these scissors have dull blades, which makes it harder to cut. Children who try are often unsuccessful and they become discouraged or give up.
When teaching your little one's to use a pair of scissors always stress Scissor Safety. The two golden rules below
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Scissors are only for cutting paper and nothing else!
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Avoid walking with scissors.
Before teaching your cild to use scissors, always remember to work on their Fine Motors Skills first, to strengthen hand and finger muscles and improve bilateral coordination, with the following suggestion
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Kitchen Tong activites - stacking building blocks
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Tearing paper into small pieces
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Spinning top games
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Sqeezing wate out of squirt toys
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Finger Puppets
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Cloth pegs activites
