At What Age Can A Child Use A Knife And Fork?
Along with breastfeeding, the child begins to eat semi-solid foods. At this stage, his mother will help him eat until his motor skills allow him to take silverware and he is old enough to use a knife and fork.
The good performance of this motor capacity will depend on the maturation of the nervous system. This is not exact in all children, since it depends on various 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 that the child obtains when showing skill with the manipulation of cutlery is the ease of coping when starting to write. The parents or guardians of the child must be sure that they have acquired sufficient motor control over the use of cutlery. Until this happens, help is essential.
Initiation of the child to use a knife and fork
Through the parents or the responsible adult, the infant will learn certain behaviors, behaviors or habits. There are some that should not be allowed, such as poking around food with your fingers and chewing with your mouth open. These types of behaviors should be avoided and corrected in case the child repeats them.
The acquisition of habits or routines at an early age is beneficial. Thus, optimal performance is promoted when sitting at the table and using a 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 infant begins to feed on its own. For this reason, at this age they should already be instilled in the habit of handling cutlery, specifically the fork.
Its manipulation will be progressive and gradual, as was initially done with the spoon for soups and creams. After this first cutlery, the fork is incorporated and, finally, when getting more skills, the knife.
The use of cutlery when eating food should be a daily habit. In this way, the child will achieve effective learning; These must be adapted in weight, size and even material.
When considering using a knife and fork, it is necessary to consider some recommended physical characteristics for these implements. The handle should be wide and made of non-slip rubber to facilitate grip, at least until the child is two years old.
Materials according to their use
The type of material to avoid is rigid plastic, since the child, in his curious and restless stage, could bite, split and eat a piece. The parts of the plastic pieces would be harmful to your health; In addition, this type of cutlery is not precise when it comes to puncturing and cutting food.
The metal cutlery is the most recommended, since they are not harmful to the health of the child. As for the type of knife, it is convenient to start with a smooth one, which only serves to manipulate the pieces of food together with the fork.
Meanwhile, the adult should help you in the process, chop the food and facilitate the handling of both cutlery.
Recommended ages to use the knife and fork
It is at the age between four and six when the child will be able to make use of the serrated knife. With this implement, you can cut the most solid foods, such as chicken, meat, vegetables, among others. In this way, the type of material must be adapted to the use and needs that arise at the time.
From the age of six, the child must already use a knife and fork together. Sometimes there are difficulties in coordinating these; there is nothing to worry about, it is normal.
This process becomes much easier as long as the parents, with great patience and supervision, accompany the infant in this new challenge of life.
Learning opportunities for its implementation
With the use of these new utensils, parents must instill coexistence habits, among which are:
- Hand postures for use.
- Eat at the same time.
- Do not lick the cutlery.
- Use the right hand to use the knife and the left hand to hold the fork. In the case of left-handed children, it will be the other way around.
- Remember that soft foods – for example pasta – should not be cut with the knife, but directly with the fork.
Children learn by imitation and the first years of life are crucial to their learning. It is recommended that parents share mealtime with the little one and practice proper and consistent handling of cutlery. The little one will be watching to later repeat the same actions.
