LATEST STORIES
Kōwhai scissor skills
In Kōwhai, our tamariki experience an environment where they explore and discover different ways to be creative and expressive. We provide opportunities for our tamariki to gain skills and confidence with art and craft processes, such as drawing, collage, painting and cutting.
All our tamariki are keen to develop, practice and refine their scissor skills. Kaiako set up two octopus like cutting stations, with card paper lengths coming off them, ready for tamariki to cut. This sets the scene for a positive cutting experience, as the elevated paper allows for tamariki to hold the paper steady and straight in one hand, while the other hand manipulates the scissors to cut.
Kaiako role modelled the technique and offered their guidance and support. Kaiako also started singing to tamariki to accompany their fine motor skills when using the scissors "Open, close them, open, close them. Snip, snip, snip, snip, snip. Open, close them, open, close them. Clip, clip, clip. clip, clip."
Learning to cut with scissors helps tamariki learn to do so much more than just cut! Scissor work improves fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and concentration skills in our tamariki. It is very important when learning to cut that our tamariki have the right tools. Our blue handled scissors are right-handed and our green handled scissors are left-handed.
Tamariki need lots of opportunities to strengthen their hand muscles and build endurance in their specialized hand. As tamariki develop and master their scissor skills, they not only gain independence in tasks like arts and crafts but also lay a foundation for future writing and drawing abilities.