How to Introduce Cutting to Your Toddler
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Many parents worry about giving their toddlers scissors. First, it's a safety concern. Second, toddlers like to cut, not only things that are meant for cutting. And not all parents are fans of a mullet haircut for their children. This short blog post will give you tips on introducing scissors without worrying about either of those things.
HOW TO SET UP cutting work?
You'll need:
scissors (choose scissors with rounded edges that cut well)
bag or pouch for the scissors (to keep them stored safely)
strips that are around 1 cm wide (The child has to be able to cut them with one movement. Use thick paper such as construction paper)
TIPS TO GET STARTED
At your child's table, first, show her how to hold scissors. Practice opening and closing the scissors. Also, point out that the blades are sharp. Let them practice as long as they need before moving to the actual cutting.
If your toddler is very young and needs to develop the strength to open and close scissors, you can try these scissors to practice opening and closing.
Show the child how to use the scissors. Start cutting the strip. At the end of the strip, say something like: "It's close to my fingers; this is where I stop."
Invite your child to cut a strip. In the beginning, hold it for them. As their hand gets used to cutting, they will be able to hold the strip for themselves.
The snippets of paper can be collected into a bowl or an envelope. You can invite your toddler to place the snippets into recycling. Or you can keep them and use them for gluing work.
Notes:
If your child is not carrying scissors safely, demonstrate how to do that. Hold the scissors vertically with both hands placed around the closed blades.
What are your thoughts on cutting work for toddlers? Have you discovered scissors that cut well? Please share them in the comments.
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