L has been very interested in using a fork and spoon at the dinner table, and she is getting pretty good at it.  To encourage her spoon use, I put together a spooning work like many you will find in Montessori classrooms.

I simply put a bunch of wooden balls in a bin, alongside an empty bin, with a child-size spoon (meant to be used for pretend play in a pretend kitchen).  I tested it first with my non-dominant hand to make sure it would be easy enough for L to accompish, yet still challenging and satisfying to transfer the balls from one bin to the next.  Because L is right-handed, I placed the spoon on the tray with the handle pointing toward the right, so it would be natural for her to pick it up with her right hand.  If she was left-handed, I would put it the opposite way.  If I wasn’t yet sure which hand was dominant, I would put the spoon vertically between the two bins, with the handle pointed down, and observe which hand she used to pick it up.  L loves this work and chooses it at least once every day.