Scissor Skills

Properly using scissors is a complex skill that utilizes hand strength, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, sequencing, and focus. Achieving these skills takes practice and repetition and will help children during learning and play.

Age Expectations

Pre-scissor skills: (readiness)

  • Ability to open and close the hand 

  • Hand strength 

  • Hand separation

  • Visual-motor coordination 

  • Bilateral coordination 

Use of scissors:

  • One snip at a time (2 years)

    Snips moving forward (2-3 years)

    Cuts on straight line (3-4 years)

    Cuts on straight/curved lines, circles/square (4-5 years)

    Cuts out complex shapes (5+ years)

How You Can Tell A Child Needs Help With Scissors

  • Do they consistently orient their scissors correctly in their hand? 

  • Can they follow a thick line while cutting? 

  • Can they turn the paper with their opposite hand while they cut?

  • Are they safe using scissors while seated?

  • How choppy are their cuts – do they end up with really jagged paper or is it fairly smooth? 

  • Does the elbow of their cutting hand raise up into the air, and their shoulder shrug? 

  • Does their mouth open and close with the scissors, or is their tongue sticking out? 

  • Does their hand hurt after cutting for a short period of time?

Activities To Improve Handwriting

Open and Close Hand:

  • Play with hand puppets (hand opening and closing puppets mouth)

  • Use tongs or tweezers to pick up small objects (e..g pom poms, cotton balls, beads, etc.)

  • Use clothespins

  • Squeeze spray bottles

Hand Strength:

  • Squeeze putty, playdough, slime, etc. 

  • Use rubber bands (e.g. geoboards)

  • Pull apart toys (e.g. LEGOs)

Hand separation:

  • Spinning tops, wind up toys

  • Peel and stick stickers 

  • Paint with Q-tips

  • Use inset puzzles 

  • Lace and threading activities 

  • Tear/rip and crumple paper

Visual-Motor Coordination:

  • I-Spy games 

  • Drive toy cars on road map 

  • Draw shapes/lines on paper and build over outline with playdough, Wiki Stix, etc.

Bilateral Coordination:

  • Fold paper

  • Tear paper

  • Open and close screw tops on containers

  • Use playdough (e..g rolling)

  • Catch and throw ball

Adapted Scissors (loop, spring loaded, bladeless)

Visual cue for “thumbs up” position or sticker on scissors/nails

Highlight Line or Outline

Use thicker paper (stock paper, construction paper) helps control movements

Adaptive Tools

Helpful Links

Scissor Skills

Being able to properly use scissors will be important in their school years, but what is most important is how the practice of using scissors can aid in the development of many skills: visual motor integration, bilateral coordination, and fine motor strength just to name a few. You need these skills to do everyday activities like buttoning, handwriting, and many sports and leisure activities.

Fine Motor Activities for Cutting Skills Without Scissors

I hear parents say all the time that their kids do not use scissors at home. I don’t blame them! Did you know there are fine motor activities that you can do to build the hand muscles used for cutting without picking up a pair of scissors?! These fine motor activities will strengthen the muscles used for cutting!

Creative Cutting Practice for Kids!

One common reason students are referred for a school-based occupational therapy screening is because they have difficulty cutting with scissors. At first glance, this skill seems pretty simple – hold your scissors, snip your paper, and you’re good to go!

But there are actually several more complex skill areas involved. Here are some of our favorite ways to extend these skills and work up to cutting with scissors!

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