Our wonderful pediatric occupational therapy team has come up with a list of ways that you can help improve your child's skill using scissors! Quick note-please make sure children are supervised while using scissors and are using the tools (blunt scissors) that are made for kid!

A Child Who Is New To Using Scissors

• Tip #1: Playing in a tactile bin utilizing a pincer grasp such as three jaw chuck and superior pincer grasp.
• Tip #2: Resistance activities such as TheraPutty to strengthen the fingers for the resistance of scissors.
• Tip #3: Using sensory bins with scoop scissors to practice picking items up out of the bin.
• Tip #4: Learning the right orientation for hand placement, thumb to the sky fingers to the thigh.

A Child Who Has Experience Using Scissors

• Tip #1: Try using loop scissors! Practice cutting straws or snipping pieces off of paper.
• Tip #2:  Scissor skill practice!
• Cutting along the lines on a piece of paper
• Use both hands! Integrate the helper hand (the one not holding the scissors) to hold the paper. Types of grips to hold the paper include: fingertip to fingertip grasp, as well as thumb on top of the page with the other fingers holding it from underneath.

Thanks to Mr. Justin, part of our pediatric occupational therapy team for these tips!