What age did your child eat using both a knife and fork?

[AutumnIsHere21]

Slightly inspired by another thread, but when did your child regularly begin to use both knife and fork when eating?

My DD has just turned 6 and she will use a knife to cut (badly!) and then put it down and continue to use her fork in her right hand for the rest of the meal. I’m not sure when children should be ‘taught’ to eat properly? I eat ‘backwards’ as an adult (I know, how uncouth of me!) and don’t want DD to do the same if I can help it.

Any advice?!

I read something the other day - can’t remember where - that said 7 is the average age at which children will use a knife and fork confidently.

I wonder if you are both dyspraxic. Not using a knife and fork properly is one of the signs ds had (and I'm the same).

DD is 10 & still does that, she's been taught to use both, use them properly, we use both & properly but I've given up telling her because it just turned into an argument.

DS9 still can't ... it makes me cringe, he is shown at school and at home ... I can't stand the battle each dinner time.

DS (6) probably started using a knife and fork properly about a year and a half ago... although he does need reminding every now and again

I just cannot remember. He's 40 now and eating properly with a k ife and fork.

I think it’s probably fairly normal at that age OP, so I wouldn’t worry. At DS’s pre-school they eat in the hall with the rest of junior school and I’ve noticed he’s started to keep hold of his knife while eating and make some attempts to use his knife and fork in a coordinated fashion, with mixed success! I just presume he’s parroting what he sees without fully understanding what he’s trying to achieve 🤷‍♀️ He’s almost 4.

It's a bit of a cultural thing I think. If you don't eat much meat and two veg then you don't get so much practice. We are from a more rice based background and so my kids are awful with their knives.

Mine could do it from about 4 (I’m pretty hot on table manners)…yet still often need reminders at 10 & 8! Going to school broke them a bit on this front as there weren’t the same expectations as at home and so they got lazy re only using a fork.

fwiw I teach 5-6 yos & most of them need help cutting up food. Many just eat with their fingers. It’s fairly usual.

If you ever want to feel reassured, walk through a junior school hall at lunchtime. There is such a variety of ways children use the cutlery as not all homes have the same expectations or as previously said, cultures. My 8yr old can use it and has been able to since he started school but often needs reminders. My 4 yr old is giving everything a good go and can use his knife and fork to cut some things.

3 I think. I definitely know I bought another cutlery set at that age because her knives was always in use. It was a proper set, just a smaller scale.

Her nursery also encouraged full cutlery use in the pre-school room for lunch.

Really old.

My 11 year old middle child still doesn't use a knife unless he really has to.

Between 3-4.
Spoon only until 18 months.
Spoon and / or fork 18 months - 3 years ish.

Obviously when they first had a knife, it was a kiddy one so I cut much of their food such as meat, sausages, tough roast potatoes etc. before serving - the knife was more a tool to help push food onto the fork and to cut softer foods at first. But both could happily eat with their fork in the left hand and holding the knife in their right long before they started school but now as tweenagers they eat like pigs