…ten shapes a-cutting,
nine shadows lurking,
eight tools for writing,
seven fishies swimming,
six stickers sticking,
five books to read,
four chirping birds,
three story maps,
two Play-Doh tools,
and a story under the tree!
Teaching your children how to use scissors at a young age may seem scary or daunting, but is actually incredibly important to keep them on the proper developmental track. Cutting with scissors enhances quite a few skills that are important for growth. Fine motor is a major one, but cutting also develops hand-eye and bilateral coordination.
Children develop their fine motor skills organically as they age, but incorporating activities that assist with this is key to maintaining growth. Using scissors allows their hand muscles to strengthen, as they are consistently opening and closing their fingers as they cut a shape, lines, etc. We use shapes and images that coincide with our letter of the week to integrate additional educational benefits. This keeps our lessons and their learning styles consistent.
Hand-eye coordination is also a key skill being honed during cutting exercises. When a child is cutting, they use their hand to hold the scissors, their eyes to process what needs to be cut, and combine the two to complete the activity proficiently. Children incorporate the use of hand-eye coordination often in their daily activities, and giving them the opportunity to engage and fortify this ability allows them to thrive in many facets of life.
Bilateral coordination encourages the use of both sides of a child’s body in a given setting or pursuit. Cutting allows a child to utilize this type of coordination by requiring them to use a pair of scissors with one hand, and hold the piece of paper they are cutting with the other. Using both sides of their body necessitates focus. A child is often compelled to use both hands, with each performing a different activity, in their daily lives. Much like with hand-eye coordination, engaging this skill through cutting defines their ability and provides the chance to fully understand and engage a set skill.
Our students enjoy using scissors to cut almost as much as we enjoy watching them progress in this assignment throughout the school year!