At What Age Can A Child Use A Knife And Fork?
While the child is being breastfed, he begins to eat semi-solid meals. At this stage, the mother must help her to eat until her motor skills allow her to use the cutlery and she is old enough to use a knife and fork.
The good performance of this motor capacity will depend on the development of the nervous system. This faculty does not develop in the same way in all children, as it depends on several factors – genetic, hormonal, environmental – that surround it.
With practice, then, the little one will become familiar with the use of cutlery. Thus, more and more your motor coordination will evolve in an extraordinary way.
One of the advantages of the child being skillful with the handling of cutlery is the easiness to evolve when learning to write. Parents or guardians of the child must ensure that the child has acquired sufficient motor skills in the use of cutlery. Until this happens, it is essential to help her.
When should the child start using a knife and fork
With the parents or the responsible adult, the child will learn certain behaviors, behaviors or habits. There are some that should not be allowed, such as picking up food with your fingers and chewing with your mouth open. This type of behavior should be avoided and corrected if the child repeats it again.
The acquisition of habits or routines at an early age is beneficial. That’s because she performs great when sitting at the table and using her knife and fork. However, the child should not be forced to use both cutlery at the same time.
Between twelve and eighteen months of age, the child begins to feed himself. Therefore, at this age, we should already instill the habit of handling cutlery, especially the fork.
Its manipulation will take place progressively and gradually, as it was initially done with the spoon for soups and creams. After this first cutlery, we must incorporate the fork and, finally, when developing more skills, the knife.
The use of cutlery when eating food should be a daily habit. In this way, the child will learn effectively. They must be adapted, in weight, size and even in material.
When planning to use a knife and fork, it is necessary to consider some recommended physical characteristics for these utensils. The handle should be long and made of non-slip rubber for easy grip, at least until the child is two years old.
Materials according to their use
The type of material that should be avoided is hard plastic, as the child, in his curiosity and agitation phase, could bite, break and swallow a piece. The parts of plastic parts are harmful to your health. Furthermore, this type of cutlery will not be suitable when skewering and cutting food.
Metal cutlery is the most recommendable, as it is not harmful to the child’s health. Regarding the type of knife, it is convenient to start with a sawless one, which only serves to manipulate, together with the fork, the pieces of food.
Meanwhile, the adult should help the child in the process, cutting food and making it easier to handle both cutlery.
Recommended ages for using the knife and fork
It is the age between four and six years of age, when the child can use a saw knife. With this utensil, you can cut more solid foods, such as chicken, meat, vegetables, among others. Thus, the type of material must be adapted to the current use and needs.
From the age of six, the child should already use the knife and fork together. In some cases, there are difficulties in coordinating them, but there is nothing to worry about, it’s normal.
This process becomes much easier, since the parents, with a lot of patience and supervision, accompany the child in this new challenge in life.
Learning opportunities for its implementation
With the use of these new tools, parents should instill living habits, including:
- Hand position for your use.
- Eat at the same time.
- Do not lick cutlery.
- Use your right hand to use the knife and your left hand to hold the fork. In the case of left-handed children, it will be the other way around.
- Remember that in light meals —for example, pasta— you should not cut with a knife, but directly with a fork.
Children learn by imitation and the first years of life are crucial for their learning. It is recommended that parents share mealtime with the little one, and carry out the proper and constant practice of handling the cutlery. The little one will be watching to repeat, later, the same actions.
