Scissors!

Our 3 Year Old children love the opportunity to use scissors - we wonder how many have used scissors before?

For a few children, using scissors is a relatively simple task - they can hold the paper in one hand and use the other to confidently hold & guide the scissors as they cut.

For something a little different today I provided them with a pre-printed sheet for them to cut out some smiley shapes and then match them to another sheet where they could stick them down.  I thought it was a wonderful activity to not only allow the children to practice their cutting skills BUT also at the same time creating a sample for their Portfolio that we can reflect on in time to come.

For some children, slow & steady was the way to go.  They could hold & coordinate the scissors on their own, but then they really took their time and concentrated on the task at hand as they slowly cut out each of the shapes! 

For other children, adult assistance was required.  We helped them to learn how to hold the scissors in their hand - thumb on the top, two fingers underneath and then - open, close, open, close.  It's a repetative process and once that was mastered, we held the paper steady for them so that they could make cuts into the paper around the shapes.  It wasn't important whether the cutting was perfect - the fact was, that these children were learning to use scissors on their own.  The children learnt that they didn't have to hurry - they could take their time and yes, they can use scissors to cut all by themselves!

So . . . what can we do to help develop confidence in using scissors?

Well - here at Kindergarten, we're providing plenty of opportunities for the children to use scissors - both at the creating table AND even at the playdough table!  Cutting up playdough is a great way to practice that open,close, open, close movement of the scissors - particularly when a child is first learning to use scissors and needs to develop that skill.

What can you do at home to support that learning?

Allow your child to have scissors for cutting - of course you may not want them to have access to them all the time BUT have a pair that is child sized - and that does cut paper - remember, some of the cheap ones around don't cut so well and therefore cause more frustration than anything!

Develop some rules if you like:

• "We only use scissors when we're sitting at the table"
• "We only use scissors to cut paper"
• "When we're finished cutting we have to clean-up"

Allow your child to cut up strips of paper, old mail or magazines into any shapes that they like.  The end product is not what is important in this learning stage.  Remember, this is just a time to explore, develop fine motor skills and gain confidence in using equipment.

Have fun learning with your child!

Mrs. Fyfe