Cutting is a very important Fine Motor skill for your preschooler, as he or she will be using that skill a lot, along with other skills, in his/her first year at school. When a child uses his/her hands to function or use things correctly than he/she is using their Fine motor skills. In order to develop your child's Fine motor skills, you need to provide them with opportunities for exercising their hand muscle control/movement. For example, holding a spoon or fork to eat food from a plate is a Fine motor skill, as it allows your child to hold the utensil at a certain angle to pick up food from the plate. Overall, cutting will help your child develop good hand control and helps them with holding a pencil correctly for writing practice in the school years.
Beware: little kids do not have fully developed hand muscles so avoid complex activities and start with simple ones like putting money in a jar, rolling play dough, or using tongs to pick up items. Also, adult supervision is needed at all times. It is wise to invest in a pair of child-friendly scissors that have a safety edge around the blades. If necessary, guide your child to cut using training scissors available on Amazon or any stationary store.
Similarly, learning to cut a shape or on a line using a pair of scissors is a complex Fine motor skills that requires lots and lots of practice. Parents should not feel disheartened if their child on their first cutting assignment, cannot succeed. It's okay to give up and try again the next day. I remember my early days at school when we had to do lines or copy some insane notes from the board, and the insides of my palm would ache for a while from writing so much. Similarly, you don't want to push your child but keep trying everyday for 10-15 minutes and if the attempt is unsuccessful then try again the next day. Before your child begins cutting, you need to teach them how to hold the scissors properly and then gradually progress to cutting a piece of paper. Kids love cutting pictures so you may start with old flyers or magazines.
Let's look at some unique products in the market (all products can be found on Amazon.com):
Beware: little kids do not have fully developed hand muscles so avoid complex activities and start with simple ones like putting money in a jar, rolling play dough, or using tongs to pick up items. Also, adult supervision is needed at all times. It is wise to invest in a pair of child-friendly scissors that have a safety edge around the blades. If necessary, guide your child to cut using training scissors available on Amazon or any stationary store.
Similarly, learning to cut a shape or on a line using a pair of scissors is a complex Fine motor skills that requires lots and lots of practice. Parents should not feel disheartened if their child on their first cutting assignment, cannot succeed. It's okay to give up and try again the next day. I remember my early days at school when we had to do lines or copy some insane notes from the board, and the insides of my palm would ache for a while from writing so much. Similarly, you don't want to push your child but keep trying everyday for 10-15 minutes and if the attempt is unsuccessful then try again the next day. Before your child begins cutting, you need to teach them how to hold the scissors properly and then gradually progress to cutting a piece of paper. Kids love cutting pictures so you may start with old flyers or magazines.
Let's look at some unique products in the market (all products can be found on Amazon.com):
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| Fiskars Blunt Tip scissors (Ages 4+) |
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| Westcott Stainless Steel 5 inch training scissors w/teacher's grip (Ages 4+) |
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| My First Scissors by Faber Castell (Ages 3+) |
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| School Smart Loop Scissors (Ages 4+) |
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| Fiskars Safe Scissors (Ages 3+) |
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Kraft Edgers Pattern Scissors
(Ages 4+) |
There are many ways your preschooler can practice their cutting:
- Cut on pre-made or pre-printed shapes to practice cutting around a shape.
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| © Everything Family Guide |
- Cut pre-made lines (such as wavy, curved, straight, dotted, zig zag, swirly, etc.) to practice cutting on a line.
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| © Everything Family Guide |
- Practice everyday to perfect their cutting skills. Cutting helps develops fine motor skills so its okay to include a few other skills with it to make it interesting. For example, have your child draw something, cut it out and glue it on another surface. This way you combined the skills of holding a pencil, drawing, cutting and gluing.
If you need more guidance or would like to learn more about cutting practice and related ideas, then you can refer to the following teaching resource:
- My First Book of Cutting by Kumon Publishing
- Scissor Skills (PreK-1) by Carson-Dellosa Publishing
- Cut and Create! ABC: Easy Step-By-Step Projects That Teach Scissor Skills by Kim Rankin
Remember to allow plenty of time for your child to practice his/her cutting skills to reduce frustration and anxiety. Guide them before they give up but if they continue to be frustrated, then approach it at another time. To help your child develop his/her fine motor skills practice on a day-to-day basis.
Happy Cutting,
Annie
(Encl. Cutting Practice Printable)
(Encl. Cutting Practice Printable)
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