Scissors Facts for Kids

Scissors are used for sewing, in the kitchen, and for paper.

Scissors are a handy tool used for cutting many thin materials. Think of things like paper, cardboard, thin plastic, and even metal foil. They are also great for cutting food, cloth, rope, wire, hair, and nails.

Unlike a knife, scissors have two sharp edges that work together. Some scissors, like those for children, are not very sharp. They often have plastic covers for safety. These are sometimes called "Safety Scissors."

Scissors can be made for people who are left-handed or right-handed. It can be quite tricky to use scissors made for the wrong hand!

There are many different kinds of scissors. Each type is designed for cutting specific materials or shapes.

Special Scissors for Different Jobs
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Special Scissors for Different Jobs

Many types of scissors are made for special tasks. Here are some examples:

Gardening and Farming Scissors

Hedge trimmers: These are big scissors used for trimming hedges and bushes.
Grass shears: Perfect for trimming grass in your yard.
Pruning shears or secateurs: Used for cutting small branches on plants.
Loppers: Even bigger than pruning shears, these cut through larger branches.
Blade shears: Special scissors for cutting a sheep's wool to collect it.

Kitchen and Food Scissors

Kitchen scissors or kitchen shears: These are super useful in the kitchen for cutting food. They are often made of stainless steel so they don't rust and are easy to clean. Many even have extra tools built into the handles, like bottle openers!
Poultry shears: Designed specifically to cut poultry like chicken or turkey.
Cigar cutters: Small, special scissors with curved blades for cutting cigars.

Grooming Scissors

Hair-cutting shears: Used by barbers and hairdressers to trim hair.
Thinning shears: These scissors have special blades to make thick hair less bushy.
Nail scissors: For cutting finger- and toenails.
Nose scissors: Small scissors with blunt (not sharp) ends. They are used for trimming nostril hair safely.

Metalwork Scissors

Snips: These are strong scissors for cutting through thin sheet metal.
Hydraulic cutters: Very powerful tools that use hydraulics to cut heavy metal. You might hear them called "Jaws of Life." They are often used by rescuers in traffic collisions.
Throatless shears: Used to cut complex shapes in sheet metal.

Medical Scissors

Trauma shears: Also called "tuff cuts," these are used in emergencies to quickly cut off clothing. They have rounded tips so they don't hurt the patient's skin.
Surgical scissors: Used by doctors to cut flesh during surgery.
Bandage scissors: Designed for cutting bandages without hurting the skin underneath.

Special Event Scissors

Ceremonial scissors: These are giant scissors used for fun ribbon-cutting events. You often see them at grand openings!

Sewing and Clothes-Making Scissors

All-purpose or Crafting scissors: These have long, pointy blades. They are great for cutting paper patterns or other craft materials.
Button hole scissors: Small, strong scissors used for opening buttonholes in fabric.
Pinking shears: These scissors cut a zig-zag edge on cloth. This special edge helps stop the fabric from fraying (unraveling).
Tailor's scissors: Strong scissors designed to cut through thick materials like leather or many layers of fabric.

Images for kids

Han dynasty scissors
These shears are thought to be from the 2nd century A.D. from a Roman settlement in Turkey.
Classic Italian-style kitchen scissors. The two halves can be detached for cleaning.
Left-handed (left) and right-handed (right) sidebent scissors
Chinese scissors from the early to mid-Tang dynasty
A pair of iron scissors from the Han Dynasty
Fiskars scissors from 1967
embroidery scissors shaped like a crane
A pair of shears
Scissors for cutting carpet pile
Scissors from Norway, before 1850, used to cut cloth.