Scissor Skills
Definition:
Children begin to master scissor skills in their pre-school years, most children will develop these skills in a
regular sequential developmental pattern however some children will greatly benefit from modified
equipment, activities and strategies and to help master and refine these skills.
Equipment: Some children may find using standard scissors more difficult, there are a wide variety of
modified scissors available which can help the child to achieve and master scissor skills, the following are
available from:
Peta (UK) Ltd
Tel: +44 (0) 1245 231 118 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Mark's Hall
Fax: +44 (0) 1245 231 811
Mark's Hall Lane
E-mail: [email protected]
Margaret Roding
Dunmow CM6 1QT
England
Easi-Grip® Scissors
Can used for right or left handed use.
Does not require refined finger isolation, just an ability to open and close.
Can help in the beginning when teaching open-and-close action.
Student can support wrist on the table while cutting, reducing the need for controlled
wrist stability.
Also available: smaller size; Mini-Easi-Grip® scissors and a table-top stand.
Long Loop Easi-Grip®
Long loop handle allows the strength of middle, ring and little finger to be used whilst the
index finger is placed outside the loop and used for guidance. Alternatively for those with
very limited movement fingers can be placed over the long loop. Available for right and
left handers.
Dual Control Training Scissors
These scissors are designed to assist the child in learning to use scissors and for those
who have poor visual motor co-ordination, reduced strength, has a tremor or poor
background/foreground differentiation. Available for right and left handers.
Long Loop Scissors
Long loop handle allows the strength of middle, ring and little finger to be used whilst the
index finger is placed outside the loop and use for guidance and control.
Also useful for children who finding holding and using standard scissors painful or
uncomfortable. Available for right and left handers.
Self Opening
Look like conventional style scissors, but have been fitted with a
spring so that the scissor automatically reopens after pressure is
released.
Also available in the Long Loop version and for right and left handers.
Push Down Table Top
Scissors are used either by depressing the handle with the scissor in a stable position, or
by "scooting" it across the table.
Spring automatically reopens scissor when pressure is released.
Blade guard supplied for safety when not in use.A table-top mounted version is also
available in plastic and wood, which is ideal for those with one functional hand.
Rolling Paper Cutter
Bladeless cutter, which is operated by pulling the paper through the cutter. Easy
action for cutting straight lines.
Activities to encourage readiness for cutting:
1. Pick It Up
Equipment: Salad tongs or other tong-type tools ( e.g. tweezers) and marshmallows, cotton wools balls,
plastic blocks etc
Method: Using salad tongs or other tong-type tools ( e.g. tweezers) get the student to pick up objects (e.g.
marshmallows, cotton wools balls, plastic blocks etc.) and drop them into a bucket.
Variation: Make it a race between two who can collect the most items in one minute.
Comment: Try using different texture/firmness of objects
2. Balloon Faces
Equipment: Water pistols, bulb-squeezing squirters or spray bottle, whipped/shaving cream and balloons.
Method: Using water pistols or bulb-squeezing squirters get the child to: spray balloons that have face
drawn on them with whipped/shaving cream.
3. Sponge Race
Equipment: Sponges, water and buckets.
Method: Squeezing sponges to move the water from one bucket to another, as quickly as possible.
Variation: This can be done as a race between two people, with a time limit, who can squeeze the most
water into a bucket in one minute.
4. Bubble Making
Equipment: Water pistols, bulb-squeezing squirters or spray bottle and soapsuds.
Method: Squirt water into a pan of soapsuds to make more bubbles.
5. Make a Monster
Equipment: Paint, paper, water pistols, bulb-squeezing squirters or spray bottle.
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Method: Get the student to paint a picture of a person or animal and then squirt the picture and make the
paint run to make a monster.
Other ideas to help readiness for cutting:
Tearing and crunching paper, for papier-mâché and collage work.
Using a single or double hole punch for making holes for lacing activities.
Squeezing empty plastic bottles in water or to blow feathers or ping-pong balls.
Finger of glove puppets.
Hand and finger rhymes, e.g. Incey Wincey Spider etc.
Modelling clay or dough – rolling, pinching, squeezing.
Musical instruments – castanets, finger-cymbals.
Holding the Scissors
The optimum position to hold scissors is with the middle finger and thumb in the scissor loops stabilising
the lower loop with the index finger. The loops should rest near the bent middle joint of his fingers.
Encourage the student to hold the paper in his non-dominant hand and use his dominant hand to operate
the scissors. Both hands should be held so that your child’s thumbs are ‘on top’ rather than underneath the
paper. When cutting, the scissors should move away from the student’s body, rather than across it.
To help them to learn this, sit across the table from them and ask them to ‘point the scissors at me’ or ‘cut
towards me’.
Cutting Skills
Children first learn to snip, then to make a series of continuous snips in order to cut across a page.
Straight lines are easiest to start with, then corners and finally curved lines.
Snipping Activities
Cutting Playdoh sausages into small pieces.
Making a fringed effect for puppets.
Cutting strips of paper into small pieces for papier-mâché
Cutting different materials e.g. foil, cellophane, magazines etc for collage work.
Cutting drinking straws into small pieces, which can then be used for threading and making a
necklace.
6. Cutting Lines
Equipment: Paper, pens and scissors.
Method: Draw a line with pictures at either end e.g. cat and mouse, letter and a post box,
dog and bone etc ask the child to cut along the line to reach the picture at the other end.
Variation: Make the lines thinner as their accuracy improves. These lines can be straight and curved.
Comment: Use different materials that give more resistance, such as cardboard, sandpaper, textured card,
these will can make it easier and the student more sensory feedback.
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7. Dot–to-dot
Equipment: Paper, single hole punch or sticker spots and scissors.
Method: Punch a line with single hole punch or make a line using sticker spots and ask the child to cut
along the dots.
Variation: These lines can be straight or curved or make a shape.
8. Paper Chains
Equipment: Paper, pencil, ruler and scissors.
Method: Cut coloured paper into strips to make paper chains for decorations.
Variation: Using artwork scissors that cut wiggly lines to make it more interesting.
9. Chinese Lanterns
Equipment: Coloured paper, pencil, ruler and scissors.
Method: Fold a piece of paper in half long-ways and ask the child to cut along pre-drawn lines along the
folded edge. Unfold the paper and glue along the short edges to form a lantern. Cut a strip of
paper and glue to the inside to make a handle.
10. Paper Waver
Equipment: Coloured paper, pencil, ruler and scissors.
Method: From the short edge of the paper cut along the pre-drawn lines up to the middle of the page. Roll
the paper up at the other end and tape to make a waver.
Comment: Use two different colours and cut and roll up together, perhaps in your team’s colours.
11. Jigsaw Making
Equipment: Picture of an animal or of the student.
Method: Using the picture of an animal or the student, draw lines over the picture and ask the student to
cut long the lines to make their own jigsaw.
Variation: Increase the complexity by adding curved lines.
Comment: The more number of pieces or the more detailed the picture the harder it will be to put back
together. A second copy can be useful to add as a guide.
12. Snowflakes
Equipment: White or silver paper and scissors.
Method: Fold a square or circle several times and ask the student to cut out shapes along the edges and
open out to make a snowflake to stick on the window.
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