At 7 I was helping my mom make our dinner (supervised but with real tasks). 7 year old can start to use a real knife for basic tasks.

My oldest is 5 and makes sandwiches for his younger siblings.

Anonymous wrote:I think it's too uptight/controlling to be thinking about whether jelly with spread. Mine is perfectly happy with clumps of jam, regardless of who made the sandwich! And tbh I am pretty uptight/controlling, I admit.

It depends on the kid. I've tried to have my 6 year old make her own sandwich but she is a perfectionist and her ability doesn't meet her expectations. So we still help. I do think by 7 she'll have it down.

But if the jelly didn't spread, she'd be upset.

3 or 4. But expect a bit of a mess. By 5, the child should certainly be able to make the sandwich, including getting the ingredients and cleaning up by themselves. Of course, if you don't give your children the opportunity to learn independence, they will be far behind and you shouldn't expect them to suddenly have skills. These things build on each other, which is why you see some very self-sufficient teens and some who you can't trust to walk a dog.

Anonymous wrote:
Any time they want?

I have a very controlling spouse who never wanted to kids to make a mess, and it was an uphill battle for me to push for a little independence. I don't mind spills and a little waste of food, but my husband does, very much so. It meant that my kids had to wait until their teen years to be allowed to cook. Sandwiches, probably in early middle school. They could have learned all this way sooner!

This is us to a tee. My husband wants every jar lid perfectly screwed after, all ingredients back in their place, no crumbs, utensils in sink, etc.
So my 10 year is not making many sandwiches.

Anonymous wrote:My DH thinks DD7 is too young to make a PBJ on her own. I say she's more than old enough. Maybe it won't be a good PBJ or the jelly won't spread, but she can do the PB at least.

What age did your kid make their own sandwich?

Tell DH he's an idiot.

My kids did this at 5 LOL.

Absolutely a 7 year old can make a PBJ. Mine made tuna with potato chips as well LOL

People need to get their kids involved early in cooking and getting ready for school. They should own these things.

My 8 year old can now consistently make her own lunch sandwich without needing help or supervision. She could do it a few years ago, but not "please go pack your lunch for school tomorrow" level of independence. At least not if you expected everything to be put away afterwards.

[quote=Anonymous]This is what squeeze jelly is for. I have no idea but they were really little. At one point I even bought squeezable peanut butter YouTubewhen I saw it. [/quote]

Anonymous wrote:
Any time they want?

I have a very controlling spouse who never wanted to kids to make a mess, and it was an uphill battle for me to push for a little independence. I don't mind spills and a little waste of food, but my husband does, very much so. It meant that my kids had to wait until their teen years to be allowed to cook. Sandwiches, probably in early middle school. They could have learned all this way sooner!

I'm your DH I hate messes and food waste. However I just make my kids practice until they get it right. It's tough but you can get a 7 year old to make a sandwich properly without mess. I even have mine doing the laundry.

My kids at age 7 helped with many things in the house, were quite independent at various levels, but never made a sandwich. No big deal.

My 5 year old made a PB sandwich today. He was super proud. Give it a try

Anonymous wrote:7 is too young to make a sandwich?? Goodness does he chew the food and spit it into her mouth too?

That was my first thought too. There are bigger problems here than a sandwich.

2

My 8 year old "cant" but I think he's just a bit lazy.

This is what squeeze jelly is for. I have no idea but they were really little. At one point I even bought squeezable peanut butter when I saw it.

As toddlers my kid certainly helped spread jelly or put some cheese on bread. Can they reach and carry the jars, can they clean up after themselves? By 7 a typical kid should. If yours can't, teach them - show them each step. Watch them without stepping in. But also, there's very little that can go wrong when making a sandwich. But the payoff of having an independent kid is important.