Tell students that they're going to focus on using scissors to correctly cut things from paper. Explain to them that when they cut things out, they should follow the outline of the picture or cut on the dotted line. Tell them that their cut outs should not be squares and should have lots of white space around the picture. Tell them that the picture shouldn't be cut in half or in pieces. Show them examples of things that have been cut out correctly and examples of things that have been poorly cut out.
Model to students how to cut paper. Show them how to hold the scissors and how to hold the paper. While you're cutting, point out how you're staying on the dotted line or following an outline of the picture. Point how you're rotating the paper in order to stay on the dotted line or to follow an outline.
Give students scissors. When they're holding the scissors straight out and away from their body, tell them to put three fingers in the larger hole at the bottom of the handle. Tell them to put their thumb through the smaller hole at the top of the handle. Let them practice moving their thumb to open and close the blades of the scissors. The index finger should rest alone along the bottom of the scissors, and should not be in the large hole. Tell them to use the index finger as a guide when using scissors.
Continue by giving students paper to cut. Tell them to open the blades of the scissors and to place the paper between them. Make sure they line the top blade next to the outline of the picture. This is usually a thick black line on the paper. When students get to the end of the line they're following, remind them to rotate the paper to continue following the line.
Instruct students to let paper scraps fall away once they have completely cut out the outline. When this happens, students should have the picture they've cut out in one hand and the scissors in the other. For more practice, Parenting website suggests allowing children to "rip out pages from old magazines and give them to cut up" or to "snip along construction-paper edges" to make fringe. Earlychildhood News suggests allowing students to practice "cutting shapes and spirals." They also suggest students practice cutting different kinds of lines such as "curved, crooked, jagged or wiggly lines."