Cutting Tips

• Bold the outline with a highlighter or marker.
• Hold scissors and paper with “thumbs on top.” You can place a sticker on your child’s thumb nail as a reminder or use the cue "thumbs up, ready to cut!".
• Begin first with snipping the paper, cutting straight lines, then basic shapes, then complex shapes.
• Use hand-over-hand assistance as needed or modified scissors, such as loop scissors.

Gluing Tips

• When gluing, put the glue on the object being glued and NOT the paper.
• Make a mark or draw a line as a visual of where the glue should go.
• Try glue sticks for children with decreased strength.

Pencil Grasp Tips

• Use broken crayons and short pencils to encourage an efficient grasp
• Have your child hold a small coin or cotton ball with their pinky and ring fingers leaving only their ring finger, middle finger and thumb available to hold the pencil.
• Pencil grasp development