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Cutlery Skills and Specialist Cutlery

Caring and Kura Care cutlery is ergonomically designed with finger guides to facilitate the correct hold when learning to use cutlery. The knife has a serrated edge so close adult supervision is required when your child is using the cutlery. This cutlery is particularly useful if your child has co-ordination difficulties or weak wrists or weak grasp.

Tips to develop use of cutlery and ability to cut up food:

  • Make sure your child is in a good sitting position before teaching them to use cutlery. They should be able to put their feet on something sturdy eg. flat on the floor or on a footrest. The table should be at roughly the same height as their elbow when they are sitting up straight.
  • Practice using a knife and fork to cut up food at times other than mealtimes e.g. being involved in food preparation. Show your child how to use the fork to hold food steady, while using the knife in their other hand using a sawing action.
  • Give opportunity for supervised practice with softer foods initially e.g. banana, mushroom, progress to firmer foods such as courgette as they begin to reliably hold cutlery correctly and use the correct technique.

Teach your child to check the following before using the knife to cut

  • Check that the item to be cut is well-placed on the chopping board or plate (not too near the edge)
  • Check position of fork, is there space to cut the food?
  • Check knife position (is it straight, not slanted?)

Resources
The cutlery is available on the internet or you can buy Caring Cutlery locally from Cornwall Mobility Centre (Tel 01872 254920) in the grounds of Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro.

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