Pam wrote in with a question we've been wondering ourselves:
Are there safety scissors that don't suck? It seems like every type I buy either has a metal blade, which I'm told is a no-no, or else they're plastic and all they do is bend the paper. My three-year-old (who's in a "I can do it myself" phase) gets so frustrated, she doesn't even want to make crafts any more, and I can't say I blame her.
Great question, Pam. If anyone has a lead on good safety scissors for preschoolers, let us know in the comments!
We buy the ones with the metal blades. My three-year-old does fine with them -- the other ones are just too frustrating!
Look for Fiskars brand... that's what our school district specifies for the kids (and we've gone through a lot of brands, and they really are the best kids' scissors).
view purplemonster's profile
After much frustration, we have given up on kid scissors.
Afterall, the Montessori concept stresses teaching children how to use real equipment -- safely, and our daughter has been in Montessori since she was 11 months old. They learn to handle knives, and other tools, from a young age.
So we have switched to blunt-nosed "real" scissors, and have safety rules. Works very well.
view mschatelaine's profile
As a former art teacher I would recommend that you forget the plastic hunks of junk and go for blunt nosed scissors. After all, you won't be letting her cut things unsupervised at that age and it is discouraging to use a tool that doesn't do what its intended to do.
I would also recommend (even though I wasn't asked, I will just throw this out there) that you do not have her start practicing "cutting on lines" until she is more confident in her use of scissors in general. Just have her practice the actual cutting motion by cutting snips and fringe, etc.
Happy Cutting!
view wishingstardesigns's profile
I agree with wishingstardesigns. I'm also a former art teacher, and one of the first projects I'd do with my youngest students is cutting fringe in construction paper. It always amazed me how many kindergarten students had never used scissors before.
Since you'll be supervising, the blunt Fiskars for kids will be fine, and will last a while as well. Make sure she's holding them properly as she cuts - little kids often want to hold them upside down and then get frustrated.
view laura c's profile
Another user of metal scissors with blunt edges. What is childhood without a self-haircut, anyway? Our soon-to-be-three year old also drinks mostly from glass cups and uses some grownup tools (with supervision). Sometimes the plates/glasses/bowls break, but he has learned to be careful with breakable things. His playdate friends, not so much.
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