Quick Tip: When you are teaching a child to use scissors, teach them to cut between the shapes that share a page. It makes the paper smaller and easier to maneuver. The thumbs are on top of the scissors and paper instead of the child twisting their arms awkwardly. To help them remember to keep their thumbs up, you can draw a little smiley face or use nail polish on the thumb nails. We keep the dominant arm steady with the elbow close to the body and with the hand opening and closing the blades slowly in long "bites" while the other (nondominant) hand moves the paper. As they go around curves or small shapes, let them know it's ok to GO OFF THE LINE out into the scrap area. They can cut that excess off for greater maneuverability too. If we accidentally cut into the shape, we just stop, move back into the right position, and remember tape and glue are our friends.
Excuse my blurry photo as this little artist was too in the zone to be slowed down!