Scissor Skill Practice

Scissor skill practice – did you know there are many skills a child needs before mastering this activity?

In order to hold a pair of scissors and snip/cut along lines etc, your child will need a precision grasp on the scissors, use them in a perpendicular position and have good dexterity with the thumb in order to flex it. They will also require good bilateral integration, postural stability, hand strength, sensory integration, sequencing, rhythm, attention, motor planning, eye-hand coordination, visual motor skills and understand what force to use when cutting/snipping. Bet you got a shock at the long list!

So, let’s have a look at what them holding the scissors:

• Firstly, are the scissors positioned correctly in the hand?
• Can they open/close the scissors?
• Can they position the scissors correctly using their dominant hand?
• Are they opening/closing their whole hand when snipping or is it only the thumb side?
• Are the scissors in a perpendicular position to the item they are cutting?
• Are the ring, small and middle fingers bent into the palmer surface of the hand?

If there are any problems with the above, you will need to work on the scissor grasp. Try some of these below:

Here are some useful links to give you some more ideas/help:

https://www.treetopsoccupationaltherapy.co.uk/learning-to-use-scissors-requires-coordination/

https://www.facebook.com/TreeTopsChildrensOccupationalTherapy/posts/3287343961301059

The idea is to therefore practice lots more scissor activities whilst still working on improving your child’s scissor grasp. Try to improve their line accuracy and cutting more smoothly. Once they master a better snipping action and building up their finger dexterity, the skill will be much more fun for them.

Opening and closing scissors helps children to build up their hand strength and the small muscles in their hands. These muscles are important for daily activities such as drawing, using cutlery, brushing teeth/hair and even getting dressed/undressed.

Remember! Watch those fingers!