a day in the life of a latvian mom

Cutting practice is what going on in our house right now. Nelle loves to cut. I’m surprised how she can do that with right arm, she is left-handed. I bought here left-handed scissors but still cutting with the right arm. Well – let it be! Maybe it’s not too late to teach her to write with right arm?!

About Scissors cutting practice

Scissor cutting practice is important for developing the fine motor skills that young children need in order to hold pencils, pens, and crayons. Children should start scissor cutting practice before learning how to write. Teaching children how to cut with scissors is a complex task. I talked to a kindergarten teacher about how to start.

First – forget about scissors! Start with a TEARING paper by hands. It is an important part of start to learn to cut with scissors. It develops: grip and co-ordination skills like hold the paper between the thumb and pointing finger of each hand and moves each hand in a different direction. Starting with paper strips and move to a larger piece of paper.

Second – SHORT CUTS. An act of opening and closing the scissors (for one time). Short cuts develop muscles.

Third – LONG CUTS. An act of opening and closing the scissors for more than one time without cutting the paper in half.

About Safety

Scissor safety is critical. Our rules are:

• Scissors cut only paper
• Don’t pass the scissors, but if you do pass handles first
• Don’t move with scissors

Nelle (4-year-old) pass the scissors very well but for Linna (2-year-old) work in progress.

Ilze

P.S. I’m making worksheets for my girls and I will share them here. Be patient! Thank you.