Make Your Own Sandwich
What you need
- two slices of bread, butter or spread, and two fillings to choose from
- a table knife
- a plate
How to do it
- Offer two fillings, like grated cheese or cucumber, and let your child choose one for their lunch.
- Let them spread the butter right to the edges of both slices, holding the bread still with a flat hand.
- Put the filling on one slice, lay the other on top, and press it down.
- Cut it together, with your hand over theirs on the knife: into halves, then quarters, as squares or triangles.
Why it matters
Making their own lunch from the first slice to the last cut is a whole job with a reward at the end, and squares or triangles is their call too.
What they're learning
- Spreading to the edges
- A flat knife pushed across in strokes.
- Choosing
- One filling out of two.
- Halves and quarters
- Cutting the sandwich into equal pieces.
What to look for
Notice them checking the corners of the bread for gaps in the butter.
A tip
Soft spread is easier than butter straight from the fridge, and a rounded table knife is the safest one to use.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: you add the filling, and they spread and press
Harder: make one for someone else too, with the filling that person likes
