Using a Spoon – Readiness Building Activities – Min-Mod Level

Being able to use a spoon during a meal or snack is a complex task that may take years to master. When using a spoon, a child may alternate between both hands, practice different holds on the spoon, and maybe bring their mouth down to the spoon to help avoid spills that are going to happen when bringing the spoon from the plate or bowl to their mouth.

In pre-school, your child may be able to use a special spoon you send from home, or they may find the class is given plastic spoons to use during a snack or lunch time. Using disposable plastic spoons are often harder to handle as they are light, smaller, shorter, and sometimes the neck of the spoon breaks if too much pressure is applied during scooping up the food.

Your child’s ability to use a variety of spoons (regular, weighted, or plastic) helps them gain mastery over their oral-motor or mouth muscles, while promoting their fine motor skill coordination and control. It does take time to master this combination of fine motor skills and oral-motor control required to scoop, bring the spoon with food on it to their mouth, and remove the food while achieving good lip closure. It’s a complex task! Give lots of opportunities to practice with a variety of foods – soups, mac-n-cheese, fruit cups, applesauce, mashed potatoes, and so on!

Keep Scrolling Down for Lots of Ideas!

Following are a variety of activities you may wish to try. Some may work great; others may cause a meltdown! There are wide levels of activities that give lots of practice on the use of a spoon. Read through and pick and choose those that fit where your child is at. As with all learning of new skills, take your time, relax, breathe, give lots of practice opportunities, have paper towels at the ready, and remember, “there is always tomorrow!”

·         It is important that your child is well supported when they are learning any new skill.  In the beginning it is important to make sure your child is well supported in a high chair or on your lap.  You can use cushions or rolled up towels to help your child stay in a good erect position

·         As they grow it is important that their feet and back are supported so that they can use their hands freely.  Whenever possible ensure that your child is sitting at a table. 

·         You could use a sturdy box under their feet and cushions on the chair to make sure they are well supported

·         Always set the dishes and utensils out in the same way to develop a routine and help your child locate items at each meal

·         Think about the utensils you are using.  Spoons with thick and/or textured handles are easier to hold.  A spoon with a short handle is easier to control

·         Consider the weight of the spoon - Sometimes something heavier can be easier to control 

More Ideas Follow Photo!

·         Use a bowl or plate with a raised edge so the child has something to scoop against

·         Place a non-slip mat underneath the bowl to prevent it sliding when your child is learning to scoop

·         When encouraging your child to use a spoon use food that is going to easily stick to the spoon – mashed potato, applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, sticky mac-n-cheese, for example. These foods are great to start with as the child does not have to worry about spills while they are trying to focus on bringing the spoon to their mouth.  

·         Take your time and be consistent.  Learning a new skill takes time so give praise, encouragement and support for all of your child’s efforts – spills or not!

·         Give your child opportunities for practice every day

·         Have a fun time of trying to eat something, like spaghetti, with a spoon – you try it too for a meal full of laughs!

·         Try to have your child scoop out some peanut butter or jam – textured thick spreads which may require a bit of work to scoop out some – then have them try to spread on a piece of bread

Keep Going! More Ideas Below!

·         Use a serving spoon and let your child scoop and transfer dry beans, dry elbow noodles, dry rice, beads, coins, pom-poms, and so on, from one container to another.

·         With practice scooping and transferring (with dried beans, rice, noodles, beads, coins, etc) work down in size from the serving spoon to a tablespoon, to a teaspoon.

·         For continued challenges with scoop and transfer, have your child use a spoon to transfer those items listed above into a funnel, or into a container with a smaller opening which requires more control and coordination

·         Try to scoop up only one bean, noodle, coin, etc, cross mid-line to deposit into the opening of an empty plastic soda bottle – see how many they can move in 1-minute

Practice, practice, and more practice will help your child in learning how to use a spoon! Give your child opportunities for practice every day for best success.

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