How do you teach a toddler how to use scissors?

[wastingaway]

I thought I'd introduce DS to scissors, and I showed him how to hold them and cut, then put his fingers in the holes and he promptly took them off and held a handle of the scissors in each hand and pointed them dangerously towards the groin.

Is there some obvious way of safely teaching scissors that I'm missing? Or is he just not ready yet?

how old?

He's 2 years and 2 months.

Teach him when he's 5 and not a moment earlier. Unless you like clothes/hair/dog/sofa/curtains with big chunks cut out of them!

nah DD was using scissors maybe a bit later than that age but not much - just be careful it's only with supervision! she's not great but can cut paper, it's a start

Oh yes, scissors are kept well out of reach!

give them to him and let him get on with it.

start with toddler / paper scissors and endless supply of paper.

by 3 my dd was onto proper metal scissors and has been pretty responsible with scissors on the whole.

My ds is 3 and can use scissors with a lot of supervision. At 2.2 he'd probably have chopped off fingers and hair and goodness knows what else. I'd wait a bit and try again later! x

You can get plastic scissors that supposedly can only cut paper - which is true, but the papere has to be held taught at right angles to the blades, so a bit tricky without help. However they did help DD get the idea of how to hold them.

We've ended up with a nice pair from Partners the Stationers, these have a palstic spring on them to make them spring open - which makes cutting much easier for little hands. We do have strict rules about only using them supervised, she isn't allowed to carry them around and can only cut paper.

paper plastic and taut not taught

Like everything, they learn through imitation and when they can see a point to it. My DD couldn't get scissors, despite offering her crayola plastic scissors loads of times, then suddenly at 3, she saw me cutting sellotape and wanted a go and just got it. She now loves scissors and uses proper metal, kitchen scissors (with supervision) and corrects DH if he carries them wrongly, iei does not yold the blades in the palm of his hand.

Is he quite a careful child generally? I think children are ready to use different objects at different times. If he's not particularly careful by nature then I would just wait a couple of months - he also needs to understand what happens when he uses them incorrectly and maybe just over 2 is a bit young for that understanding. DS was closer to 3 I think before he started using them properly. He found the kiddie ones too frustrating so we didn't really use them.

DD4 is 3 1/2 she has been using scissors for awhat seems to be forever, she was probably just over 2. I do not remember teaching her though nor any of her older siblings TBH. I think they just "observed" me doing it. The plastic ones are not very good, we use the same ones as in pre school, with supervision.

Not very careful no.

I think I'll get some plastic scissors for him to wave about, and keep the metal ones for when he's getting the hang of holding them.

I'll incorporate using scissors into daily life where he can see me.