Cutlery use...

[KindergartenKop]

What would you expect in terms of cutlery use from 8 and 10 year olds?

I need to work out if iabu 😂

If they are neurotypical with no special needs, and have had proper cutlery use modelled to them, and required of them, that they could manage cutlery pretty much as well as an adult by that point. Hopefully getting on for mastering chopsticks, too.

What @mbosnz said.

I think she has covered all bases.

Not sure what your AIBU is to be able to offer a vote.

I'd expect them to use cutlery as an adult, assuming they don't have SEN or physical issues preventing that.

Maybe occasional help with very tough meat, but should be pretty much independent by that age.

Well my 12 year old is perfectly capable of using adult cutlery but attempts to eat everything by hand. It drives me insane.
I've not raised her to eat like a savage but it looks that way at times

Mine have always been taught to eat with the correct cutlery, we’ve always sat at the dinner table to eat as a family yet I still have to remind my DD10 how to cut food pretty much every day! It drives me insane!

So I believe in theory they should be able to use them as well as an adult but have been proved wrong daily in that theory by my otherwise capable child!

Sorry, I didn't mean to put it to a vote!

They really struggle to use the knife to put the stuff on the fork so end up pushing it all to the edge of the plate and then nudging it with fingers. The older one has a mild coordination problem but has mastered normal hand writing so I don't think this is an excuse!

We model knife and forks but I think we need to nag more about it....also we eat a lot of bowl type stuff and not from a meat and two veg culture so perhaps this has been ignored a bit more than it should have!

My 10 year old knows how to use cutlery perfectly well but is still prone to stabbing and eating everything like a lollipop if he can get away with it.
7 year old needs reminders to actually use the cutlery and can't hold a knife right but she does have SN.

@HeySeamus I'm glad it's not just me!

@FawnFrenchieMum we always sit at the table! The mess would be unreal if they ate on my posh sofa.

One of my dc struggled with a knife and fork until at about 11. They swapped the knife and fork around and started to use them in the ‘wrong’ hands, problem solved. I think it was similar to making a left handed person write with their right hand. Their fine motor skills have never been very good though.

Mine are ND, aged 8 and 13, they both use cutlery and chopsticks. We have small cutlery for the younger one and they can use a soon instead of knife and fork if easier, plus we will help with cutting if needed. But I do insist on using cutlery and decent table manners.

I might just send them to a swiss finishing school. Save the arguments and they can also learn to ski.

Try a few games of forfeits for every item that falls off a plate or start with 10 Smarties and deduct one for every pea/grain of rice on the table at the end of the meal. It's amazing how fast they learn to keep the food on the plate when there's something in it for them!

@AtleastitsnotMonday that's a good idea 💡