How old were your kids when they used the kettle by themselves?

[Miaou]

Dd1 asked if she could make dh a cup of tea this evening - but I'm just too nervous to let her use the kettle!!! Am I being silly? She's 9.5 btw.

dd is too little at 2.7 [shame ] but I remember making a cup of tea at around 6 or 7. We had an old style kettle that had to be switched off manually and I didn't let it boil before I made the tea. Probably a good job!

When I was 5 I stayed the night at my best friend's house and we made her mum & dad breakfast in bed. Tea with loads of tealeaves in the bottom as we'd forgotten to use the strainer. Marmite sandwiches about 2" thick.
They still laugh about it now - she's still my best friend 40 years later

at the thai kids!! Think I'll show dss this thread next time they moan about putting a few toys away?

my dd has been making tea for about 3 years (11 now), regularly takes her turn making spag bol, and has just started enjoying doing ironing .... my job here is done!

I have just realised how I am so over protective with ds who is 9. No way would I let him make tea or toast.

BH that is quite over the top.

Dd1 started making tea (for us, natch) when she was 8. Ds (7) hasn't done it yet, but mainly because dd1 is the designated tea-maker! Ds is designated toast maker, he likes to get a stool and fish the toast out with a pair of tongs. He can also make salad and fruit salad and is reasonably reliable with a sharpish knife.

Dd1 (now 11) can also operate the washing machine and dishwasher. Both dd1 and ds can change nappies and wipe toddler bottoms, though that's rather beyond the normal call of duty.

Looks as if I may need to put them on the payroll at some point.

How strange, my 9 year old made me her first proper cup of tea just today ie using a kettle. It's normally from the hot water tap

i'm with you frog! as the saying goes - you don't keep a dog and bark yourself!

dd started making tea by herself when she was about 7.5. But then again she was very sensible and independent and trustworthy at that age with this sort of thing.

ds1 and ds2 were probably around 9 I think.

I think it depends on the child and their capabilities - sounds obvious but my 14 yo db even gets his own breakfasat cereal poured into the bowl for him fgs!!

ds2 who is 10 can do tea, toast, beans on toast, scrambled egg on toast, fried egg on toast and work the washing machine. He also polishes and hoovers his room, changes his bedlinen, makes his own packed lunch for school (checked over by me after) and cleans his own football boots at the weekend.

I would think it odd for him to have everything done for him but then I have always taught mine to be independent when I feel they are ready. Saves me doing it too

Yes, the girls both make toast (though I usually cut the bread). Dd1 made a huge fruit salad the other day too.

I saw this thread title and red flags came up in my mind. My mum had shown me how to use a kettle etc around9/10 yrs and had made a cuppa now and again under her careful supervision etc - all fine. What she had not really pressed me on was the subject of how full the kettle should and should not be... One Sunday morning when my parents were in bed my sister and I decided to make them breakfast in bed...overfilled the kettle myself without understanding about levels etc and spent the rest of the next couple of weeks in hospital with severe burns to my left foot...

Teaching your chidlren to use a kettle etc is a brilliant idea - but please explain to them that even when they get confident doing it when you are not around, never ever ever ever fill it up beyond half way or to the point where it is heavy and could easily spill. Also - if they do spill when filling up, wipe it up so they don?t slip.. Obvious I know, and you wil tell them anyway - just rather paranoid about it all - it is so easy for them to get over confident like I did. I still have a horrible white burn mark right across the top of my foot today and spent most of my childhood and teens embarrassed as hell changing for PE and swimming... one minute can have lifetime consequences. Lecture over

As soon as they can hold it !!

Sorry, only joking... I think I was about 9/10 when I was allowed to use the kettle, under supervision to begin with !

Depends on the child. My ds (now 14) was interested in making tea at around 10 and was quite capable by 11 of making a cup of tea by himself, totally unsupervised. My other ds (now 11) shows no interest and I don't think I would trust him yet with a kettle full of boiling water. So it definitely depends on the child.

When I was the oldest child in my village primary school (at around 8, because we had a three tier school system) I was given the duty of staff tea monitor at break time and was trusted to put the kettle on for their break drinks and turn it off too (back in the day when automatic kettle switch off hadn't been invented).

DD could make a pot of tea at age 7. DS slightly later because he was a bit clumsier.

They could both do omlettes, beans on toast etc by 8.

9.5 is fine under close supervision. DD3 15 is Dyspraxic and she started to use the kettle undre close supervision at 10. At first we just got her to fill the ketle enough for two cups ( so it was easier for her to pick up) and she made cups of coffee. She was about 12 before making pots of tea on her own.

9.5 is fine under close supervision. DD3 15 is Dyspraxic and she started to use the kettle undre close supervision at 10. At first we just got her to fill the ketle enough for two cups ( so it was easier for her to pick up) and she made cups of coffee. She was about 12/13 before making pots of tea on her own.

Dd (3) can make me cups of tea, and she does everything except pour the hot water. This was dh's doing, and I was quite anxious about it, but she is ultra careful and competent. The problem with pouring the hot water is that the balance of the kettle can suddenly change, and they can lose control, so I would do lots of 'dry' runs with cold water. I think dd would probably need to be 8 or 9 really.