After a child scoops with a spoon and pierces food with a fork, time seems to stand still. No one wants to hand a young child a knife. But they should (sort of). Here are some ideas to safely explore knife skills without holding your breath or end up still buttering their toast when they are in middle school!
1. Don’t use a knife. Use a spreader instead. Yes, those little things you put out next to the brie when you have a few adults over for wine and cheese. You can find handles that fit nicely in a child’s hand, improving their control. The spreaders that have a sculptured handle add even more texture for a secure grip. With a rounded blade, these are less dangerous in the hands of young children. Butter knives and plastic disposable knives are actually capable of cutting a child’s fingers. Not a good thing. Save them for Stage 2, where your child has already developed some skills.
2. Pick the right foods for cutting practice. Children who are learning to cut will usually provide too much downward pressure. They aren’t comfortable using a sawing motion at the same time as slight downward pressure, so adding more pressure is often the output you see in the initial stages of learning. Choose foods that can safely handle their initial awkward movements. Soft solids that are familiar to them, such as bananas and firmly cooked sweet potatoes, can be sliced easily. Avocados that aren’t totally ripe or whole carrots that have been cooked in the microwave are other good choices.
3. Demonstrate cutting while cooking dinner. Children really do need to see your demonstration and hear your comments, but they may find pretend play less motivating than watching the real deal. You can absolutely let them practice with you, cutting the same or similar foods if it is safe. Even if you have to come up with a creative way to use the smashed bananas or carrots resulting from their practice, your food should go into a family meal.
4. Take this opportunity to teach good hygiene. Everybody washes their hands before and after cooking. It’s just what we do. It’s the price of admission to the fun of food preparation.
5. Create a “recipe” that allows your child to be the chef. Young children love to spread their bread or sturdy crackers with softened butter, nut butter, cream cheese, or Nutella. They can prepare some for others int he family as well. We all love to see people enjoy our cooking, right? But be creative and remember to initially use foods that they know and love. Would you be excited to cook a meal with foods that you have never eaten? Possibly not.
This is an opportunity to teach a skill while enjoying time with your child. Have fun using these strategies for beginning knife skills!
