Advice for 6 Year Old Who Cuts Her Clothes on Purpose

Hi Jackie,
I would make her buy new clothes with her allowence. That is what I did with my 7yr old son who has lost several jackets at school this year. And/or make her bring the scissors home from school or have the teacher keep hers at her desk. She probably is just bored in class. I noticed my son writing and drawing on some of his jeans before. And we have all heard of kids cutting their hair. I don't think this is anything to worry about.

Good luck,

J.

I remember cutting my clothes when I was a kid. I used to cut notches in my necks, collars and sleeves and then chew on the material. What a weirdo I was! (I had forgotten about this until I read your post, Jackie - thanks for the memory!) As you can imagine, it would flip my mother OUT. (laughing)

I wouldn't hide the scissors - I would tell her repeatedly she can cut paper, not clothes or sheets or hair. I would reinforce the message by bringing home construction paper and maybe a glue stick so she can cut and glue to her little sweet heart's content. I would also swap the grownup scissors with kid scissors that only cut paper - I'd let her get the color she wanted and put her name on them. If you have a cigar box or a shoe box, write her name on that and stick all of her little artsy craftsy stuff in there. They make even have dotted line stencil books to help her cut things out and make pictures of her own.

I think that I used to cut things for attention. I was an only child for 5 years and then baby sis came along. With 2 younger sibs and full-time working mother, maybe your DD wants a bit more attention than she's currently getting? Just a thought. This "project" could be just the thing she needs.

The other answer is "kids do dumb stuff." Cutting her clothes may be one of those things (it certainly was for me). I'm going to dig out this picture of me wearing one of the t-shirts where I cut the notch in the neck. HA!

Good luck, Jackie M.

C.

My 7 year old did this when he was 5. He never cut his hair, but he cut his clothes and his bed sheets. I just ended up hiding the scissors for a while, then found a pair of kids scissors that only cut paper, there is no metel on them what so ever, they are completely made of plastic.
He doesn't do it any more, he knows now that scissors are not to be played with like that anymore.

She is probably just fasinated with what the scissors do and wants to try them on everything she can get her hands on and, also, if she knows that your job requires you to use scissors (to cut hair), that probably facinates her too and maybe she wants to be like mommy? It is just a guess...

It is most likely a phase that all kids do (I know that I did it, cut half of the hair on my head when I was 6 :) )

I would just recommend to keep any scissors that you have at home out of sight, including any Fiskars Safty scissors or any scisors that are meant for kids, and let the teacher at her school know of your concern with her cutting her clothing.

Jackie, I think most kids do this. I know my stepdaughters did. Keep your scisors out of site and out of reach. I can tell you it is something that she will grow out of. Especially after she gives herself a horrible haircut that can only be fixed with a trip to the hairdresser for that special pixie cut.

I don't have an explaination as to why your daughter would be doing this (I'd too wonder about frustration and boredom) other than maybe she's just overtly interested in scissors, cutting, cause and effect, etc. My 3-year-old is fascinated with scissors, mostly because I don't let him use them at home, but he gets to in public settings like the art museum family center craft area and the library story time where they have craft/activity tables set up prior to storytime. Anyway, my initial "remedy" thought is to maybe take her to a store and let her pick out a new pair of child-safe scissors, a pad of colored construction paper, and possibly other materials safe for cutting, and then setting up a "cutting kit" of sorts, thus allowing her an appropriate avenue for cutting to her heart's desire. Giving her a postivie outlet while firming telling her what she's not allowed to cut might satisfy this new urge. Just my two cents ... ;-)

My son used to do the exact same thing! He is a straight A student and very quiet He started in the first grade too He would tell me he didn't know why or that he was bored. Well after the 3rd pair of jeans and about the 5th shirt sleeve he put a hole in I made him go the store with allowance and birthday money that he had and buy 1 new pair of jeans and 1 new shirt and that cured him of it.
So it's just the age or she's bored Good Luck!

Hi, I am curious, is your daughter out-going? You say she only does this at school. First off where's the supervision where a first grader can cut her clothes with obviously sharp sizzors at school?! anyway, My daughter was adventurous, which lead into fearlessness, she started out with the most curious behaviors, She had to smell every page in a book before being able to turn the page. Cutting her hair, glueing her blankets together! So I understand the frustration. Kids are curious, they can become bored, they want to be different, they even probably at that age have no realization on Why they would do these things, it gets in their head..and they do it. I am telling you about my daughter who is now 16, all those Little quirks my daughter had, I chalked up to being a kid. I even talked to my doctor about it, and he said she would out grow them, well I don't want to alarm you because she may just do that, however my daughter did not. She still smells everything, pages of books, a new shirt,etc...she also developed new "quirks" not being able to put her feet on the floor when sitting on her bed, having to have everything in her room in the "correct" spot, she was evaluated by a psychiatrist, and has O.C.D obsesive compulsive disorder, which I now know she has had since birth. The best thing I think is to let your doctor be aware of what she is doing, and keep track of any new "incedences" she may develop, It can help you with any future questions a doctor may ask, if your keeping track through the years you will get your answer, if there aren't any new ones, or re-occurring ones, then she out grew it, if you start seeing a patern make your doctor aware of it right away. It could be something as simple as she is creative! and wants to express it that way! Good-luck!

Hi, I am have a similar problem with my 1st grader, she likes to chew on her clothes and puts holes in the arms and neck area. What I told her that I was going to do was to take her shopping at Salvation Army for now on because the holes will already be in the clothes. She knows what Salvation Army is because I donate a lot to them and she knows it is for people that can not buy new things. She did not like that idea and I can tell she is trying to stop. My daughter chews on her clothes when she is nervous or bored but what not be able to tell you that. I figured that out after observing when she does it and talking with her teacher. Kids at the the age of 6 are not yet able to commmunicate their feelings and thoughts very well, that happens around 8-10 years of age. So I will bet something is going on. Talk to her teacher and watch how is interacts with everyone!

Best of Mothering
Michelle - Mother of 4

Jackie funny you mention that I also have a 6 year old daughter and she loves to just cut anything.. She has cut her hair, clothes, papers, the list goes on and on.. I don't know what to say other that put the scissors away unless your there with her maybe.. Good Luck your gonna need it.. LOL

i do not have a girl . but i do remember cutting a hole in my hair. not a pretty sight. my mom was so mad. it is a thing we do when we are little. i cut my hair because my mom would roll my hair and then it would be some strings of hair sticking up and i hated that so i wanted them to go away. yeah that was the good old days. the only thing my son cut was my stethoscope.

I would take away the scissors, at once. We keep out scissors hanging on a high hook in the kitchen. The hook is high enough that our son can't reach it, even with a chair. He knows that the reason they are up there is because we need to make sure he understands how to use them properly before he can use them without our supervision. I would ask that the teacher take measures to make sure that your daughter does not have unchecked access to scissors too. Tell her it's not just about the property, but also about her safety. If her hand slipped while cutting inappropriate things, she could hurt herself. If she understands that the issue is not the clothes so much as the behavior, she might be more motivated to help herself correct the problem.

My son was ripping his pajamas every single night. I am not even sure how he was doing it but he would rip huge holes in them. I think it fascinates them that they have the power to do something like that. I told him he would have to start wearing the things he ripped to school. This is a little different because there was the added fear of wearing pj's to school. Do you make her wear the clothes again or do you replace them? It only took me one threat before it stopped immediatley.