The ability to use scissors is a very necessary skill for both a child and an adult.
Children need scissors for making various crafts at work lessons or just for fun, adults need this tool in everyday life and in many types of hobbies.
Why should a child be able to use scissors
The ability to use scissors is simply necessary for an adult, starting from banal everyday situations (from the category of "cut a thread" or "cut a piece of paper") and ending with the help in preparing crafts from paper to a school for a child.
And the sooner this skill is mastered, the better.
In addition, many children are very fond of making paper crafts on their own, girls adore needlework. It may also often be necessary to simply cut a piece of paper, for example, for testing at school.
For example, children cut out various figures from paper, sew, embroider, for this it is necessary to be able to use scissors to cut a thread or piece of fabric, and so on.
To understand how to teach a child to cut with scissors, it is unlikely that he will be able to recall his experience, since it is recommended to begin to comprehend this skill very early.
When to give scissors to a child
Since scissors are not the safest item, you should not rush in order to hand it to the child. At the same time, there is no need to delay - experienced teachers recommend starting to teach a child how to use scissors at the age of two. It develops fine motor skills, trains mindfulness and teaches caution.
Of course, the first scissors should be as comfortable and adapted for the child as possible.
What should be scissors
In no case should you give your child standard "adult" scissors. The same applies to small nail scissors. At first glance, they seem safe because of their size, but their blades are not blocked, so the child may injure his fingers due to the insufficiently developed skill in using sharp objects. In addition, the tips of manicure scissors are usually pointed, which adds an even greater risk: a child may get into the eye with scissors or injure a neighbor.
Baby scissors should be as safe as possible. For babies, plastic models are provided with non-sharp blades rounded at the ends. They will completely cope with the paper, but will not cause harm to the baby's fingers, safe for others.
Later, when the child gets older and learns how to handle scissors, you can switch to adult models. At the same time, note that even many elementary school students use safe scissors. They fully perform their functions, while harmless.
Safety precautions
- Even if you gave your child baby scissors, immediately teach him how he should behave with the real ones. Explain why you can’t swing them, how not to cut yourself.
- Scissors can not be nibbled, poked them yourself or another in the face. Ideally, they should be kept away from the face.
- Scissors are not a toy. They should only be used for their intended purpose.
- For older children, if it is necessary to cut the fabric, paper scissors may be unsuitable or simply inconvenient. You may need to use a different model.
- If the scissors are broken, it is better to replace them, since a faulty tool can harm anyone.
How to teach a child to cut with scissors: rules
Do not force the child to learn to use a new tool for him if he is not in the mood. The following rules are recommended:
- Start training in the cold season. In the summer, the kid wants to do something completely different: the weather is beautiful, there are many playgrounds, communication and games with other children will certainly take free time. In autumn, you will often have to sit at home because of the rains and the onset of cold, and in two years, few give children to kindergarten. A lot of time will be free, you can try to interest the child in a new type of activity.
- First show your child how to cut squares and stripes from paper. You can outline cut lines. It is better to go to cutting something round or oval in shape by about the age of three, when the child has already mastered straight lines.
- Do not throw away paper clippings, they can be used for further crafts.
- Turn training into a game. The child should like to learn to use scissors, otherwise he will quickly lose interest. Alternatively, you can try to make applications or garlands of paper.
- When the child is already quite confidently using scissors, show him that you can cut out figures of very interesting shapes.
- With older children (6-8 years), practice not only on paper, but also on fabric. Most likely, labor lessons at school still need this, and in some kindergartens even earlier. The child needs to learn to feel both the scissors and the material itself.
- Alternate different types of activities, otherwise the child will quickly get tired. For example, after a butterfly or bird is cut out of paper, take pencils, felt-tip pens, or paints and color it.
- Do not abandon this activity and periodically return to it. Leave the child’s crafts made using scissors in a conspicuous place. So the baby will remember that he made this product with their help, perhaps he himself will express a desire to repeat the creative process.
Thus, we teach children to cut with scissors. Templates for children at first help a lot, because the child gets used to hold the scissors correctly and use them carefully, observing safety precautions.
Scissors Cutting Snowflakes
The question of how to teach a child to cut with scissors must be approached responsibly and creatively. A two-year-old child is not interested in what is “necessary”; interest is important to him.
You can practice cutting out a snowflake. This is a very exciting activity and an actual craft for the New Year.
To help your child understand how to carve a snowflake, show him a trick familiar from childhood: fold a sheet of paper with a fan and cut out a few patterns. Then expand - the snowflake is ready.
You can use templates for cutting - this limits the scope for imagination, however, if the child is not yet very confident in holding the scissors in his hands, the templates will only help him. They can be bought at the store or downloaded from the Web. Fold a sheet of paper as instructed, transfer the desired pattern to it.
So the child will understand how to cut a snowflake, and soon, perhaps, he will not even need templates.
You can also make bulk snowflakes from paper. It can be interesting for older children, from 4-5 years old. The child will certainly be fascinated to take part in the manufacture of an incredible product. It is only necessary to make even cuts on paper. The main job is to properly wrap and glue paper strips.
Paper butterfly
Paper fakes can be made not only for the holidays. The beginning of spring - why is there no reason to revive the room?
Beautiful paper butterflies can be a great decoration. In addition, they can be practiced in carving.
Patterns for cutting butterflies from paper can be drawn independently. If you have a ready-made template, then you need to transfer the drawing to paper in any convenient way: through a copying film or immediately print the outline on colored paper. In any case, the butterfly stencil for cutting out of paper should be convenient for the child: a lot of fine lines going along and an abundance of too delicate patterns can confuse him, upset in case of failure.
It is best for a baby to learn how to cut out only the outline of a butterfly, which can later be painted with colored felt-tip pens or paints, and switch to openwork products even at an older age.
The product, combined from butterflies of different sizes, looks beautiful: the smallest butterfly is glued to a larger butterfly. So it will look voluminous.
Paper doll
Girls love to play with dolls, everyone knows that. In addition to the usual toys, children are very interested in paper dolls with a set of clothes. They are sold in the form of a magazine, have a low cost. The doll itself and the clothes for it need to be cut independently, and the accuracy of the resulting toy depends directly on the ability to use scissors.
Such dolls are usually made of cardboard, and their clothes are made of paper. The dolls have a cardboard stand. In extreme cases, you can do it yourself: just stick the doll’s silhouette onto a stand made of cardboard.
In the magazine there is a ready-made set of clothes that is attached to the doll with the help of curved harnesses. You can create clothes for this doll yourself, draw them on paper and cut them out.
To do this, attach the silhouette of the doll to a sheet of paper, circle it with a pencil, then draw the desired model of clothing, cut it out, not forgetting the harnesses for attaching the wardrobe to the doll.
Conclusion
The question of how to teach a child to cut with scissors should be approached responsibly, because scissors are a sharp tool. This skill is really useful in childhood and adulthood.
Various templates are suitable for training - a butterfly stencil for cutting out of paper, a blank for snowflakes or ready-made openwork drawings. You can draw the outline of a future figure yourself.