My boy can't cut!

[tortoiseshell]

My 3 and a half year old boy can't use scissors! I know in the grand scheme of things this isn't a tragedy, but he is getting sad at nursery when the other children happily cut things out. He's only there 1 day a week, and I haven't been as good about getting him to do cutting at home as I should be (have been crap really). Anyway, as nursery had commented on this I tried him out at home just now, and he really can't use them. Can't even make a cut. One possibility is he keeps picking them up in his left hand. I always thought he was going to be left handed, as he did everything with his left hand as a baby, but I tested this just now by getting him to draw two identical people with each hand, and when it was the turn of the left hand, he guided it with his right hand, and eventually swapped over. So could he be ambidextrous? My brother was as a child - does this sound likely?

If anyone's got any tips or advice on things I can do to help him, or somewhere I could get left handed scissors for children (I know, sounds unlikely) I'd be really grateful. Thanks!

the early learning centre used to do left handed scissors.
have you tried getting him to use them in his right hand?

I have a left handed 2yr old. ELC sell left handed scissors for a couple of pounds but they looked really sharp to me. However their really cheap plastic scissors £1, can be used left or right handed.and they do cut paper, magazines etc not like the dodgy plastic ones we had as children.(I'm not a really good mum or anything, had to get scissors because he kept nicking his big sisters really sharp ones. She's 10)

you could try buying him a left hander pair to uesand see if that helps.
i also think that the elc do trainer sissors, or have done in the past.
if they dont they might be ablwe to help.

My ds is 10 and left handed and wouldn't cut at school in the beginning Left handed scissors worked a treat!

left handed scissors here

ds still has problems with scissors - he's almost 7 and has motor coordination issues. He also didn't have a strong instinctive hand preference until a year or so ago - he would write right handed but varied for other activities. Probably too early for any such concerns to become apparaent but dd is left hand and same age and is using elc left handed scissors at play group quite happily, worth a go.

Thanks - will try the scissors. I did try to get him to use them in his right hand, but he really couldn't get anywhere. I don't think he has any physical problems like your ds Lizs - he has always been quite dextrous, so I'm quite surprised he is having problems with them, which is why I wondered about the left handedness.

Thanks!

LDA (its a catalogue- shouldnfind on google) do loads of different types of scissors, ones which have holes for the adult t guide, ones with springs so cutting is easier, left handed etc

I think ELC do lefthanded scissors, but before you go down that route, can I ask, are you trying to get him to use plastic scissors? Cos I can't ever get those to cut either, and ds used to getvery frustrated.

I think ELC do some metal ones with rounded ends. Try him with those.

Just to update, we've got some new scissors - ELC ones (thanks for the tips), and he got on a bit better with those, but I think we're just going to have to practise. We did get some left handed ones, as they are so cheap, and tried them, but despite that being his natural hand to 'try' cutting with, he cuts better with his right hand. Thanks for the advice everyone - jimjams, I've bookmarked that catalogue, it looks really useful!

Let him try to cut out some kids magazines and then make them into a scrap book, that should keep the enthusiam up, and get some more practice in as well!

That's a really good idea charliecat - there's tomorrow's activity sorted!

Have a bin handy or youll be picking up the wee bits till next week! Have fun!

You're probably doing this anyway - but make sure he's got the scissors and paper at right angles to each other iykwim - if the scissors are tilted, they won't cut. Bless him.

Neither can mine! Same age. He is dyspraxic though and has other motor difficulties. He is also late in developing a dominant hand. He's lovely and gorgeous and terribly bright though. And I'm sure he will learn to use scissors before adulthood I might try the left handed scissors though.

charliecat - he does have problems with the angle of the paper and the scissors! Ends up with the scissors skating over the paper. Aloha, I remember reading about your ds and jumping, and also being one of the storymakers - my ds loved being Blake or Milton. I just got a bit worried when they commented on it at nursery, but then at playgroup they were saying 'Does it really matter if he can cut or not?' and I thought that of course it doesn't in the grand scheme of things - he'll learn! I'm just a bit worried that he feels inferior at nursery - they are all very accomplished with their scissors, and he seemed a bit sad about it. The left handed scissors are only £2 or so from ELC.