Self-serving gives children a great sense of achievement

Mealtimes are always fun at The Lodge. We have a tasty and varied healthy menu that encourages children to try new things, as well as popular classics. Spaghetti Bolognese is a firm favourite with all our Little Lodgers! 

We encourage children to self-serve from an early age. It gives Little Lodgers a great sense of achievement when developing these skills and encourages the children to be social, caring and considerate. They learn to take turns, listen and manage their own feelings while supporting others when needed. 

Self-serving also helps Little Lodgers to develop their fine and gross motor skills, hand-to-eye coordination, balance and serving technique. 

We encourage the toddlers to use full-sized cutlery, and they pour their own drinks into glasses using a china jug, which helps them to learn that things are fragile and that we need to take care, otherwise there are consequences and materials may be broken. 

We recommend you try this at home too, but remember your jugs and glasses should be small and light enough for little hands to manage and they will make mistakes, so don’t use your favourite china! Lots of verbal praise and gentle smiles will encourage them to keep trying – they will get there in the end.