Saturday, September 27, 2008

Improving Scissor Use

When students experience difficulty with using scissors, whether due to visual impairments, lack of sustained attention or immature motor skills, try this idea to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Use thick paper or recycled manila folders and create interesting "stickers" for them to cut. Of course, these stickers will only stick when glue is added to the back. The thickness of the paper will aid in decreasing the wobble factor as they cut.

Show them how they can cut in toward the middle from one side of the paper at first, then turn the paper around to cut in toward the middle from the opposite side.

In some cases you may want to use a hot glue device* to create a little ridge on top of the cutting line. Hot glue dries much faster than white glue, but keep the device* far away from your students. If it's difficult to see the glue line in the above photo, try double clicking on the photo.



*We all call this a hot glue_ _ _, but I want the blog to pass through everyone's filters.

1 comment:

Rita said...

rs can be a challenge. Sometimes I find drawing a happy face on their MCP joint to remind them to cut with their thumb pointing up can help. Making reference to "can you see the happy face on your thumb?".
Even breaking into song about " my thumb is up" can sometimes help to encourage a more effective grasp.

Take care. Rita OT NZ