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1 in 4 Reception children struggle with this everyday skill, can yours do it?

1 in 4 Reception children struggle with this everyday skill, can yours do it?

More than 1 in 4 Reception children struggle to eat and drink independently. This simple check can show where your child needs practice.

Catherine Delahaye/Getty Images

Ruairidh Pritchard

Published: September 16, 2026 at 12:16 PM

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As Reception children get used to school life, there’s a lot to navigate, from new routines and friendships to getting dressed for PE. But there’s another everyday skill parents might not think about until the lunch bell rings: eating and drinking independently.

Research from Kindred Squared found that 28% of Reception children were reported by primary school staff to be unable to eat and drink independently when they started school. That’s up from 26% the previous year and 15% in 2020.

School lunch can be a very different experience from eating at home. Children may need to carry their own food and drink, manage a knife and fork, use an open cup and ask for help, all in a busy and unfamiliar dining hall.

How to try the 5-minute lunchtime check at home

Catherine Dodd, founder of children’s mealtime brand doddl and a children’s mealtime specialist, says parents can get a clearer picture of the skills their child has mastered by simply watching what happens during an everyday meal.

She suggests giving your child a snack or small meal with a plate, knife, fork and open cup. Ask them to collect their cutlery and food, carry everything to the table, sit down and start eating.

Then, for five minutes, resist stepping in unless there’s a safety concern.

During those five minutes, look out for whether your child can:

Carry their plate, cutlery and cup to the table without spilling
Collect and carry their own knife and fork safely
Steady their plate while using a knife and fork together
Cut or separate a soft food using a knife and fork, rather than waiting for someone else to do it
Pick up, drink from and put down an open cup
Recognise when something is difficult and ask for help

Dodd stresses that this isn’t about expecting children to eat an entire lunch at lightning speed.

The aim isn’t to see whether your child can finish a meal in five minutes. It’s about stepping back briefly and noticing which parts of lunchtime they can manage without help.

Catherine Dodd, founder of doddl

What if your child finds some of it difficult?

Finding one or more of these skills tricky doesn’t mean your child has failed a school-readiness test. Instead, the exercise is designed to help parents spot areas where a little extra practice could make lunchtime easier.

For carrying food, Dodd suggests starting with an empty plate or filling a cup only halfway.

If using a knife and fork is the sticking point, softer foods can make practising easier. Show your child how to cut a few pieces and encourage them to copy you, giving them plenty of time to have a go themselves.

Cutlery safety can be practised too. Demonstrate carrying a knife and fork by securely holding the handles and keeping the points and blade facing downwards.

And independence doesn’t mean children should never need assistance. Knowing how to ask an adult for help is a useful skill in itself. If your child gets frustrated, Dodd suggests practising the simple phrase, ‘Please can you help me?’

School dinners? Check the menu together

If your child is having school dinners, looking through the menu together can help make lunchtime feel more familiar.

Talk about what will be served, what they might choose and the fact that foods they recognise from home could look or taste a little different at school.

Most importantly, Dodd says parents shouldn’t see the exercise as a pass-or-fail assessment.

It's not about passing or failing a school-readiness test. If there are one or two things your child finds tricky, parents can simply use everyday mealtimes as an opportunity to practise. Even small steps towards independence can help children feel more confident in their abilities in managing mealtimes independently.

Catherine Dodd, founder of doddl

Children develop at different rates, and some may need additional support to make self-feeding achievable. If you’re concerned about how your child will manage during school lunches, speak to their school about what support is available.

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Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.