When can children make tea?

[JojobaFromOctober]

My eldest is 6 and a half. She likes doing some of the steps to making a cup of tea, putting in the tea bag, filling the kettle, switching it on, adding the milk afterwards. But I don't let her pour the boiling water yet. She is quite little and has to stand on a stool to pick up the kettle and it just doesn't seem like a great idea yet.

What is an average age that you would trust a child to safely make a cup of tea all by themselves? Or does it depend more on height? Just wondering when I can start profiting on my investment in bringing her up

When I was seven I used to make tea for my parents and carry the cups upstairs to give to them in bed. Then I'd sit and drink my own cup downstairs whilst I read the Telegraph!

Even if your household doesn’t drink hot drinks, please make sure your teenagers know how! My parents don’t drink instant coffee, at my first job I was sent to make coffee for a client. It was decanted into jars with no instructions, so I made it like hot chocolate - with 3 heaped teaspoons!

Not the point of the thread but it's also important for children to know how to use a kettle safely before they start high school as we regularly use them for science experiments and I've seen some very careless behaviour with them as students aren't used to using them.

My elder could at 7 - but like PPs, we have a hot water tap which limits the weight and difficulty of it to some extent. If she had to lift a kettle I'd suggest around now - she's 9.

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

Not the point of the thread but it's also important for children to know how to use a kettle safely before they start high school as we regularly use them for science experiments and I've seen some very careless behaviour with them as students aren't used to using them.

I would expect the teacher to explain what to do during any experiment, including those involving a kettle. Also, common sense dictates here, surely? My eldest wouldn't made tea first when she was around 15, but she wouldn't have been dangerous with a kettle at 12 either.

Depends on the family. I do know 5-6 year olds who prep veg for their parents, cook Indian chai on gas hobs, make the dough, roll and roast rotis on an open flame without supervision. But these are children who’ve been watching and doing the preparation activities like using steel cutlery / using a knife to cut veg / rolling dough etc under supervision since 1 or 2 years old.

I do let her cut some fruit/vegetables with sharp knives, but under close supervision. And I sometimes let her use the peeler under supervision. Her kitchen skills are probably about average for her age I would guess, but she doesn't do any of the hot bits of cooking. It's just for fun at this stage, she's not genuinely helping because I could do it faster myself and she needs watching the whole time.

Why would a young child need to make tea?

Not for herself, obviously. She likes to make me a cup of tea, but I don't let her do the whole thing as I said.

Mine were both around 8. Very sensible girls but neither could lift the kettle safely until then. Neither (now 13 and 9) are particularly forthcoming with the tea now the novelty has long worn off!

IME there is a direct cross over from being too small to do it safely & too old to want to help

@2319inprogress

IME there is a direct cross over from being too small to do it safely & too old to want to help

Think mine were around 7?

Depends on strength, height, how sensible they are and their keenness. DD1 was younger than DD2 as shes taller.

Around 7. She likes to figure things out for herself. To my surprise it was an excellent cuppa!

My brother badly scalded himself making a cup of tea aged 9. It was horrific, never forget the screams and he needed skin grafts.
My children have all been around 11 when I let them loose on boiling water

I'm looking forward to the day DD can make a brew.

She cleaned the kitchen last Sunday - She did an amazing job and I did wonder when I could pass this job onto her permanently 😁

My just turned 10 year old has been making me a brew for around 6 months. I wouldn't let my 7 year old as he isn't quite so confident around boiling water due to him getting really badly burnt as a toddler.

7 or 8 definitely assuming no sen, some earlier

My neighbours 7 year old toppled a newly boiled electronic kettle all down his chest. He's been having regular reconstructive surgeries for years to repair the damaged tissue. Truly horrific burns.
So....