to think a 7yo should be able to use knife and fork

[haveatye]

We try, but she refuses. Usually tired at dinner and a strop ensues if we try to insist.

Any tips? Do they teach them about it at school? I think seven is old enough to do this!

It took my ds until he was 14 to be able to use a knife & fork properly, he has hypotonia & dyspraxia & still uses hickies or elastic laces in shoes at 20.

Just out of interest, and I am assuming you are right handed. If you are buttering a slice of bread which hand do you use?

If it’s a kids knife it might not be sharp enough and it would frustrate her. I would try a proper knife and see if that helps.

Have an 8 and 6 year old and yes a battle to get them to use cutlery properly at meal times. The younger particularly struggles with logistics of the whole thing and rather uses fingers to push food onto fork rather than spoon or knife.
Hopefully will improve with time, especially as children are generally eating at table and around adults using cutlery generally correctly!
Don't think school help in the sense of poor table manners won't be challenged!

Our school does. Sadly I think culture has changed; we get a few children in reception every year who want to know where the iPad is for eating lunch in front of, and who eat spag bol etc with their fingers.

I am right handed. For spreading I would also use my dominant hand for control.

@Timeturnerplease That's sad.

Slightly O/T with the "which hand do you use" conversation. DD is ambidextrous. The hand choice for various tasks can be quite fascinating. She eats with cutlery in the right handed way, but will spread butter with either hand. (She writes with both hands, depending on the subject!)

I am ambidextrous - does your daughter have one hand that spells better than the other?

She describes it "when I have to concentrate hard, like in English, its easier with the right hand. When its stuff like maths, its easier with left". Shes also dyslexic so spelling is hard work

do you think she is ambidextrous because she is dyslexic? or dyslexic because she is ambidextrous. I think being ambidextrous is what caused my dyslexia.

Oh no! What are we doing? 🤦🏾‍♀️

Does she struggle with fine motor stuff generally? How is she with a pen or pencil? Wondering if there are issues with dyspraxia etc?

I find it fascinating that people who use the knife in their non dominant hand when using a fork don't when using just a knife.

@Timeturnerplease

I was once in conversation with a young woman who didn't know how to use a knife and fork, the first time she had used them was after she got her first job when she was taken for lunch.

Her parents were Pakistani and at home she eat with her hands. At school she had packed lunches and she must not have eaten out other than asian restaurants.

Maybe we should be teaching children how to use cutlery, their hands and chopsticks politely.