How to teach children how to use cutlery at the table

Who has never had this happen to them? You go out to eat with your children one day at friends' house, and suddenly the meal becomes a moment of stress and anguish for everyone. Crumbs of bread that fly through the air, covered that fall again and again to the ground, impossible to clean spots on the tablecloth ... How can I educate my son so he knows how to behave when sitting at the table ?, What kind of limits should I impose?

How to teach the child to behave at the table

There are basic rules that every child should know. Obviously, he will perfect them with age. But there are insurmountable limits that every father should impose on his children.

- Do not get up from the table when you are eating: something so basic and so difficult to control. Young children tend to get up constantly from the table. If you allow them to do it at home freely, when they go to a house of others, they will do the same. Explain that while a person eats, he should not get up until he is finished. And to get up before the others end, you must ask permission. At first it will cost, but you will see how little by little they will comply with the norm.

- Nothing to play at the table: there are parents who let their children fill the toy table. If it is a baby, it is understandable, because you can use the toys so that the meal time is more entertaining and enjoy eating. But when the child grows, the toy becomes a distraction and in the end the opposite effect is achieved: the food is eternalized.

How to teach your child to use cutlery

Getting the child to eat on his or her own is a long and complex task. But it's the perfect time to go teaching him to eat sitting down, use the napkin, fill his glass and use the cutlery. Think of it as a game. You will want to learn while having fun. For him learning is a challenge. If you present it as something fun, you will assimilate it much better and in the process you will gain in autonomy.

- The spoon: it is the first cover that the child learns to handle. You can start from when you are a baby, at the moment you introduce the porridge in your diet. For your child the spoon at the beginning will be a toy, and the mash will end up splashing everywhere. Do not scold him, because he is learning. Guide him with your hand so he understands how to use the spoon. At first he will grasp it with his fist. After 2 years, you can teach him to take it between the thumb and the index finger.

- The fork: children can start using the fork before the year. They are trained for it. At the beginning you can let them take the food with their hands so that they gain autonomy. Then teach him to use the fork to do the same thing he did with his hand. The most normal thing is that at first the child picks up the food with his hand and punches it on the fork. It is a first step. Little by little you will be able to prick the pieces of food and bring them to your mouth.

- The knife: sometimes we are the parents who are afraid of children using knives. But after 3 years, they can do it without problems. If you already know how to use the spoon and fork, you are ready to use the knife. First we start with soft foods, taking his hand. First we teach him to puncture the food and with the other hand (right, if he is right-handed), cut with the knife with a swinging motion. It's a long process. Up to the age of six, children can not use the knife with ease.