A few weeks ago, I decided to make somen for lunch. And I thought it would be fun to let my daughter use chopsticks for the first time. Somen is NOT the best food for first-time chopstick users! … but it was definitely fun to watch my determined 2-year old try to shovel the slippery noodles into her mouth.
After the experience, I thought, “THAT didn’t go well. I guess I’ll put the hashi away for another year or two.”
Then, one of my (very thoughtful) friends presented me with this gift:
Training Chopsticks! They are really awesome. It is just right for little hands and my daughter got the hang of it in under a minute. (In Japanese, this particular set is called コンビ ベビーレーベルはじめてサポートおはし. The Japanese on the front of the package says “Made for a growing child’s hands”, “From ages 2 and up”, “Teaches correct positioning”, “For both right and left handed children”, “OK for the microwave”, and “Won’t slip easily”).
The back of the package has detailed instructions:
What a great invention! AND the best part is, it is available for purchase in the USA. You can buy it from Amazon.com by clicking here. It is priced pretty reasonably at $6.49. (If you haven’t joined Amazon MOM, you should! It’s free and you get free shipping on almost everything, including these はし!).
If this particular set doesn’t appeal to you, there are other types of training chopsticks, here and here.
When you introduce your child to chopsticks, make sure to teach them about chopsticks etiquette too (from JustHungry). You’ll learn things such as… Never use chopsticks as a hair accessory. It’s like sticking a fork in your hair. You’ve never been guilty of that crime, have you?
Hiragana Mama 
Those look really nice! I wish I had started out with those, then maybe I wouldn’t hold my chopsticks so weird!
I know, I hold my chopsticks weird too. Thanks for commenting!