OT Activity of the Day: Scissor Skills: Target Age Range: 2 and Up
Now, I know what you're thinking, "Why on earth would I ever give my 2 year-old scissors??"
Totally understandable, scissors can be dangerous, especially to those little fingers, and possibly to the supervising adult. However, I have administered countless evaluations on 3 or early 4 year olds and the child has bombed the scissors portion, mostly because the parent says the the child has never been exposed to scissors. As OTs, we start looking at and assessing snipping abilities between 25-26 months of age.
In the long run, solely not being able to cut isn't going to keep your child out of Harvard, however learning to use and master scissors is important. In these early years of life this skill improves, or focuses on, the child's visual imitation by being able to accurately duplicate what is being demonstrated to them and it also improves and demonstrates the child's hand-eye coordination.
So, to make it safe for your young child to learn to cut, I would start with play-doh and play-doh scissors or the handy scoopers that I got of Amazon (4 to 10 dollars). Both are safe and effective and the child is working hard without even noticing, hopefully! Enjoy!