I have no idea how to teach my tots how to use chopsticks. And I’m Chinese!! I asked my mom and she was like, “You just learned”. OK, not exactly self explanatory. I tried different types of chopsticks aids and they were harder to use than regular chopsticks. The hard part is to get the sticks to not cross so that you can actually pick up food. The Successories Training Chop Sticks prevent that from happening and keeps the chopsticks straight. You just pinch them together. The best part of this training system is that it is made to teach the right form and to eventually use chopsticks without any aids. It is a 3 step learning system. You remove pieces with each step until your tot is ready to go at it alone. Step one requires all the pieces. When he is using the right fingers – thumb, middle and index finger, you are ready for step 2 and remove the orange bridge piece. The final step is removing the circular yellow piece, which leaves just the chopsticks. It is suggested for ages 3 and up, but have it on hand and introduce it when you think he’s ready. At Amazon for $12.99.
I actually think it’s better to go trainer-free. My daughter is 2 and a half and she uses chopsticks with some semblance of normalcy. She’s good at picking up veggies andmeat with it, but rice and noodle still elude her – but tots have those issues with forks, too.
They just get it eventually. Leave them alone with them. They
ll make a mess at first, of course. But it’ll happen. Trainers will just screw them up.
i have this and it’s great! my 3 and half year old loves being the same as the rest of the family. it helps build his confidence and hopefully it won’t mess him up for regular chopsticks. he loves using it for noodles.