Materials
½ -inch strips of purple construction paper
Child-size beginner scissors
Plastic bowl or plate
Directions
Learning to hold scissors properly is an awkwardly difficult task in the beginning, and requires lots of short practice sessions to get it right! I like to get my scissors at the dollar store. They have a brand that has a small, plastic arm in between the finger holes that helps force the scissors apart so your child can continue snipping.
Begin by getting your child’s fingers in the proper place—thumb in the smaller hole and pointer and middle fingers in the bigger hole. Make sure your child holds the scissors upright. Start out by holding the paper taut for him and let him snip it. Repeat several times. Praise his success! As he becomes more adept at the snipping process, encourage him to hold one end of the paper himself. Keep your sessions short and positive, as snipping is quite challenging for preschoolers.
After several practice sessions, give your child wider strips of paper (1 ½ inches) which require more than one “snip” to cut through. You can even draw lines with a Sharpie pen as his skill improves!