The students at the Early Education & Family Wellness Centre have been very busy this past month developing their fine motor strength using scissors. Cutting allows children to build up the tiny muscles in their hands which are also important for writing and painting. What you might not think of is these little muscles also help us do everyday things like brushing our teeth, eating with utensils and even getting dressed.
Children use both their hands and their eyes when cutting. Hand-Eye coordination is also important throughout daily life when catching/throwing, eating with a spoon and zipping a coat.
If you have ever watched a child when they are cutting you will often see such focus and sometimes a little tongue sticking out while they are busy concentrating. Attention and concentration are skills necessary for success in both the classroom and everyday life. Being able to focus helps with reading, listening to instruction and completing other classroom tasks.
The students have used many different media other than just paper for practicing such as cutting play-dough, thick ribbons, thin yarn, coffee stirrers, tissue paper, grass hair from the seeds they have planted, and sponges to name a few.
Overall, cutting with scissors over the last couple of months has continued to prepare them for learning and success with essential tasks and life skills.
Scissor Skills
