Children usually start cutting with scissors between two and a half and three years old, without cutting in a straight line at first. Before that, they learn to open and close the blades, often using both hands. At around four, they cut out simple shapes. Each stage depends on hand strength and on getting both hands to work together.
This article covers the usual progression, the movements that prepare for cutting, how to choose scissors and the precautions worth taking. The ages given are guidelines: differences of several months are perfectly normal.
At what age can a child cut with scissors?
The development guides from Naître et grandir (a Canadian parenting resource), reviewed by an occupational therapist, set out a clear progression:
- Between 25 and 30 months: your child gets better at controlling how the blades open and close, often using both hands.
- Between 31 and 36 months: they start cutting paper, though not necessarily in a straight line.
- Around 4 years: they can use scissors to cut out simple shapes.
Before the age of two, scissors don’t belong in a child’s hands. The hand doesn’t yet have the strength or the finger separation needed, and the risk of injury outweighs any benefit.
What gets the hand ready for scissors
Cutting calls for three skills. The first is opening and closing the hand on purpose while controlling the force. The second is separating the ‘thumb’ side of the hand, which does the work, from the ‘little finger’ side, which keeps things steady. The third is coordinating two hands doing different jobs: one cuts while the other holds and turns the paper.
Plenty of everyday games train these movements long before the first snip:
- Sorting with tongs: moving small objects into different plates, a game Naître et grandir suggests as preparation for cutting.
- Tearing paper into strips, which gets both hands working in opposite directions.
- Squishing play dough and cutting it with a wooden knife.
- Pouring and transferring with a spoon or a small ladle, described in our article on pouring and transferring games.
- Threading large beads onto a stiff lace, covered in our article on threading games.
These activities build on the fine motor skills practised since the first months. Our article on fine and gross motor skills from 0 to 3 years traces the main milestones.
The steps to learning to cut with scissors
Occupational therapists and nursery teachers describe a fairly consistent progression. A teaching resource from a school service centre in Quebec sums it up in six steps:
- Opening and closing the scissors in the air.
- Making small snips along the edge of a paper strip.
- Cutting a narrow strip in two with a single snip.
- Moving along a straight line, snip after snip.
- Cutting out simple shapes with corners, such as a square or a triangle.
- Cutting curves, then shapes that change direction often.
Each step takes as long as it takes. A three-year-old snipping a fringe along the edge of a sheet is exactly where they should be.
Start with narrow strips
A strip of paper two or three centimetres wide can be cut with a single snip. Your child gets an instant result, which is encouraging. Slightly thicker paper, such as card, holds its shape better than a thin sheet that bends under the blades.
Show the right grip
The thumb goes in the top loop and the other fingers in the bottom loop. The thumb stays pointing up towards the ceiling. A sticker on the thumbnail makes a simple visual reminder. The hand holding the paper keeps its thumb on top too.
Cut with the base of the blades
Snips are made with the base of the blades, near the pivot, not with the tip. Your child closes the scissors all the way with each snip, then opens them again and moves forward.
Which scissors should you choose for a young child?
Children’s scissors have rounded tips and short blades. They still need to cut, though. A pair that chews the paper is more discouraging than it is protective.
- Rounded tips to reduce the risk of pricks.
- Loops that fit the size of the hand, without being too wide.
- Spring-loaded or training scissors, which open again on their own, for children who don’t yet have enough strength.
What if your child is left-handed?
A left-handed child should use left-handed scissors. With right-handed scissors, the top blade hides the line and the paper gets caught between the blades. So-called ambidextrous models rarely work well. Hand preference often becomes clearer at around four or five, as our article on whether your baby is left- or right-handed explains.
Safety precautions
Scissors are still a cutting tool, even with rounded tips. A few simple rules prevent most mishaps:
- Cut sitting at a table, never while moving around.
- Put the scissors away out of reach after the activity.
- Stay close by until your child has taken the rules on board.
- Make it clear that we don’t cut hair, clothes or the cable of any device.
The home haircut is a classic at this age. It’s not serious, but it’s a reminder that children test what the tool does on everything around them.
My child can’t cut: should I be worried?
Before the age of four, difficulty cutting isn’t a warning sign in itself. Hand strength, attention and interest vary a lot from one child to another. Some prefer drawing, others stacking or fitting shapes together.
A professional opinion may help if several fine motor movements are a struggle at the same time. That would be the case for a child who can’t hold a pencil, can’t thread a large bead and can’t handle small objects. Your child’s doctor can refer you to an occupational therapist if needed.
Most of the time, the answer is to go back to the previous step. Offer narrower strips, stiffer paper or spring-loaded scissors, then give it time.
Cutting activities for every age
- Around 2½ years: cutting play dough sausages, snipping a fringe along a paper strip.
- Around 3 years: cutting strips into confetti, cutting straws into pieces for threading.
- Around 3½ years: following a thick straight line drawn in felt-tip pen.
- Around 4 years: cutting out simple shapes for a collage, a crown or tickets for a show.
Cutting works best when it serves a purpose. Naître et grandir gives the example of little tickets cut out for a puppet show: your child understands that the tool is for something. It pairs well with drawing, whose beginnings we describe in our article on when babies start scribbling.
Sources
- Naître et grandir, ‘2 ans à 2 ans et demi: motricité fine’, scientific review by Sonya Côté, occupational therapist, September 2019.
- Naître et grandir, ‘2 ans et demi à 3 ans: motricité fine’, Sonya Côté, occupational therapist, September 2019.
- Naître et grandir, ‘Autour de 4 ans’, updated November 2023.
- Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes (Quebec), infographic ‘Le découpage’, 2025.
