Scissor Skills for Toddlers
First off, I am a bit behind schedule. COVID officially hit my household (again), and I was down for the count last week. I had every intention of still blogging, but I just could not bring myself to work. However, that has given me ample time to come up with a topic! I know I have been discussing a lot of sensory processing topics, but this week I am going to switch it up. This is a topic that has been on my mind recently, and like everything else, there is a lot of misinformation out there. So, let’s start with a question. At what age do you think children should be snipping paper? The definition of snipping paper is pretty much what is sounds like, snips. Snipping also means no forward motion. At what age do you think children should be able to cut along a straight line? That means sequential cuts with a forward motion. A quick Google search shows anywhere 1.5 to 6 years old, depending on the source. And if you polled other moms, I’m sure you will find so many anecdotal opinions about when their child proficiently used scissors. Why is this so important? It’s about so much more than cutting paper. Scissor skills work on visual-motor skills, bilateral coordination, hand strength, fine motor coordination, motor planning, and so much more!
In the age of technology, find the experts. But I also understand the overwhelming mom (and dad) guilt that comes with finding out you should be working on yet another milestone, and remembering to do all of the things is exhausting! It’s ok. If your child never works on scissor skills until they start school, they will still grow up to be perfectly fine adults. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into it.
Most kindergarten classes have 20-30 students. If every single child came in with no knowledge of scissor use, it would be near impossible for that teacher to correct the scissor grasp patterns for each child. They go into kindergarten with the assumption that they already know how to use scissors, which means we need to be starting early! How early, you ask? According to the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS), a child should be able to snip paper in at least one spot by 24-30 months old. These ages are averages, so of course they will vary slightly from child to child. At 37-40 months, a child should be able to cut paper into 2 pieces and cut along a straight line within 1/2” limits.
This is often shocking for most parents. Who would given a 2-year-old a pair of scissors?! Now, with everything else, toddlers should be closely supervised. Once you start working on scissor skills, I recommend making sure they don’t have access to scissors without supervision. I have been to more than one meeting where a parent sarcastically thanked me for working on cutting skills because they then cut their hair, screen door, couch cushions, etc. I’m sorry!! There is also the safety concern of a child cutting themselves on accident. In my experience, our reaction times are much faster than a toddler’s, but I try to use gentle verbal cues to watch their fingers before I physically intervene. Children need to learn boundaries and body awareness, and we need to give them a safe place to do that.
Here are a few things to remember:
Demonstrations are powerful and easier to follow than verbal cues
Narrate what you’re doing (ex: “See how I keep my thumb on top when I’m cutting”)
Encourage your child to keep their thumb on top. If they’re struggling with this, try using a sticker as a visual reminder)
If the child is attempting pull the scissors back to rip the paper, support the arm from the elbow to prevent that pull-back movement.
Allow the child the freedom to explore movements and motor patterns before intervening!
Activity Ideas:
Snipping straws
Use playdough scissors
Cut up junk mail or weekly ads
Draw designs or use stickers around edge of paper and instruct the child to either cut through them or around them
Cut up food! From fries to veggies, children may find it fun to ‘play’ with their food!
Here are some scissor suggestions. Spring-assist scissors help with young hands that have not yet developed intrinsic muscles. Nervous about you child cutting themselves of other items? These scissors only cut paper! Pay attention to left vs right-handed scissors. You should have somewhat of an idea about hand dominance. If not, try handing the child items right in front of them (at midline) and see which hand they choose.
