Cutting with scissors is a rite of passage for young children. Very few activities generate as much pride and focus. Once a child has learned to cut, it can become an addiction! Early childhood educators may need to search for new ways to extend their interest.
There are a multitude of scissor styles available for childcare centres to purchase. Some are very blunt and best suited for cutting soft materials like shaving cream. Other styles may help support children with physical disabilities. Some sharp adult scissors are designed for cutting fabric, which can be too challenging for children's scissors to cut.
Early childhood educators can extend a child's interest in cutting, by varying the style of scissors and the style of paper. Offer pieces of paper with varying stiffness and texture. Encourage children to draw wavy and zigzag lines for their friends to cut along.
Children can develop the required hand strength by participating in other fine motor activities, like holding objects, squeezing playdough or digging in the sand.
EYLF learning outcomes
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) asks children to take increasing responsibility for their own physical learning (3.2), which includes the fine motor skills used in holding scissors and cutting.
Scissors are made from processed materials and children can cut both natural and processed materials (4.4).
Cutting activities help children develop learning dispositions such as confidence, commitment, imagination, enthusiasm and persistence (4.1), and skills like problem-solving, experimentation, investigating and hypothesising (4.2).
Children transfer and adapt what they have learned when they use different types of scissors and cut different materials (4.3).
Learning experiences
Take your scissors into nature
Early childhood educators often place limitations on cutting activities. Safety precautions are essential, but it is okay to be unconventional. Start by offering children natural materials and processed materials, other than paper.
Devon, a mother and curriculum consultant, describes how she integrated scissors and nature play:
“I don't know about you, but my little one is fascinated with scissors. Probably because kids love anything that is potentially dangerous. He is always asking to cut things so I wanted to build on this interest and incorporate nature by creating a scissor practice basket.
“We filled the basket with some flowers that were starting to wilt in a vase, but we've also collected leaves and other plants from the yard to use for our scissor practice baskets.”
Also consider where children cut. Do they need to be sitting at a table inside? Could they sit on a mat in your garden? Perhaps each child could keep their scissors in a small basket, to ensure they aren't tossed randomly on the ground.
Cut big things
Preschoolers may be interested in cutting big things, like large sheets of paper. Spread a roll of paper out on the floor or hang large sheets from the ceiling. What shapes can they cut? Who can make the longest ribbon?
Cut paper like Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse is a popular artist who is well known for his cut-out artworks. Introduce your children to Matisse, encouraging them to talk about what they see in his pictures. How do they make you feel? Which one is your favourite?
The next step is to gather resources, like scissors and sheets of coloured paper, so children can create their own Matisse-inspired pictures. Your children may cut out shapes from coloured paper and arrange them against a solid background for dramatic effect. These can also be glued down as a collage.
While your children are engaged in this activity, initiate conversations about colour and shape.