Supporting young children in using scissors provides them with a multitude of developmental benefits across various domains. Physically, mastering scissors enhances fine motor skills, which are crucial for performing tasks requiring precision, such as writing, drawing, and buttoning clothes. It also improves hand-eye coordination and bilateral coordination as children learn to synchronize the movements of both hands—one to hold the paper and the other to cut. These skills lay a foundation for more complex motor tasks they will encounter as they grow.

Using scissors also fosters confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Successfully cutting shapes and completing projects can boost a child’s self-esteem and encourage them to take on new challenges. This activity also teaches patience and emotional regulation as children learn to manage frustration when their cuts do not go as planned.

Communicatively, discussing their cutting activities can expand their vocabulary and narrative skills, while engaging in collaborative cutting projects promotes social interaction and cooperative language use. Furthermore, cognitively, children develop problem-solving skills by figuring out how to cut complex shapes or correct mistakes. They also enhance their understanding of spatial relationships, shape recognition, and patterning, which are foundational for early math skills.

This is the second in a series of posts highlighting the developmental benefits of common early learning activities.

The Using Scissors PDF

This interactive PDF looks at the benefits of using scissors during real play.

Feel free to use and share this document as you see fit.

Related Images

Using scissors takes a lot of concentration when you’re learning the skill, as you can tell by the display of concentration tongue.

Providing lots of options for cutting keeps using scissors exciting. Paper is fine, but you can spice things up with ribbon, leaves, string, play dough, and other materials.

Providing opportunities to use different types and sizes of scissors also keeps things interesting.

Wrap-Up

The seemingly simple act of cutting with scissors supports a broad range of developmental milestones, contributing to a child’s overall growth and readiness for more advanced learning tasks. Yet, in many early learning settings, they are provided sparingly and are not readily available. Adults worry about scissor misuse, but with proper supervision, that’s a minuscule problem.

Please share any thoughts on this topic in the comments below. I’d love to hear about additional playful benefits I failed to list so I can make updates.

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