Developing independence and confidence in the kitchen

I have a little boy who is almost two, who I hope will be ready to start preschool in about half a year. He is not yet the perfect student(!) and so as we work our way down the path towards beginning preschool, I thought I would update you every week on what we are working on, to give you ideas on ways to prepare your child for a really successful start to school.

Aside from his social development, there are two main areas that I think my son could benefit from in regards to preschool preparation, two areas that so many children need help with when they start. The first is developing his concentration and work cycle (that is, the ability to choose an activity, complete it and then put it away/ tidy up after it)  and the second is learning things like his numbers, colors and letters, which will allow him a great base to build on and help him to really excel academically.

I find that we spend a lot of time with most children when they start, helping them to develop their concentration and a work cycle. Having independence and concentration is one of the most important skills you can help your child develop, something that will really give them the ability to succeed at anything they do. The self-confidence your child can gain from being able to become independent is also priceless. Children who have had everything done for them seem to give up on bothering to try, in the end they draw the logical conclusion and decide that they are obviously useless, dependent on an adult to do everything for them and lose all confidence in themselves. Take a step back and encourage your child to work independently on their job without your input or even presence. Allow them to have ‘work’, have a purpose and feel self-empowered! I never want to hear a child say 'I can't do it' or 'you do it for me'. Montessori's motto was 'help me do it by myself' and that is just what we need to do for our children.

The kitchen is a great place to start working on developing these skills. Children love getting involved in the kitchen, the minute I try and do anything, mine will start moving a chair over to the bench so he can climb up and start interfering with anything I am doing! He is never happier or more inclined to eat his food, as when he is involved with the preparation.

Cutting food up is a great activity that can be part of any child’s day. It will build their hand 
coordination, strength and concentration. Try to incorporate cutting and food preparation into your child’s life, have them cut up a snack or place a small bench or table in your kitchen and have them cut vegetables for meals that you are preparing. They will take great pride in being part of the process and it will boost their self-esteem and independence.

 

Cutting a banana with a wave chip cutter

Cutting apples with a Kiddi Kutter knife

Always remember little victories build confidence and protect your child from experiencing frustration and defeat. It never hurts to practice things that they are good at, it is merely reinforcing their skills and perfecting them, so work in little steps, starting easy and adjusting the difficulty as needed.

Step One: Give your child a small butter knife or a wavy chip cutter and a soft material such as a banana. Show them how to cut it on a chopping board and place the pieces on a plate as they are cut. As they gain skill and confidence give them things that are a little harder to cut such as cheese or melon.

Step Two: Replace the butter knife with a knife that works on a sawing action such as a ‘Kiddi Kutter’ knife. It is now possible to cut harder food like apples or carrots, but not their fingers!

Step Three: Once your child has the hand strength and coordination to use a knife you can introduce a sharp knife, obviously under careful supervision and instruction. Warn your child about what can happen if they cut themselves and show them how to cut carefully. If they do cut themselves be careful not to overreact, just remind them how careful they need to be when cutting.

Pouring is another skill that children love to practice, mine will keep practicing, back and forth, until all the water has ended up on the table! Regardless, he is gaining skill, coordination, independence, developing his concentration and feeling the confidence that comes with all of that! If you want to increase their ability to work independently, put everything they will need on a shelf so that they can get out all the things they need and cut up food whenever they feel hungry.    

*Where to get the gear: Ebay is probably the cheapest and least running around for Kiddi Kutter knives, which we love. I would recommend Kmart for anything breakable so that no one needs to be too upset when something gets smashed! Breaking things is part of the process, it is the only way they learn why they need to take care and look after their things. If they only have plastic things that can be thrown around, they will tend to continue to be rough and careless with it, whereas once they have smashed something you can see a whole new level of care coming into play. 

                                                   
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