Tiny Mouths, Big Skills
Eating and drinking are some of the most complex motor tasks young children do every day β and we often expect them to just figure it out. In this 10-minute course, Jean Hawney walks educators through how chewing and drinking skills actually develop, what red flags look like in a classroom, and the small realistic changes that make mealtimes safer.
π₯ 10-minute video
π For teachers & childcare staff
π© Classroom red flags
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What you'll learn
- βWhy chewing is a skill, not a milestone β children are not born knowing how, and gaps rarely close on their own if the hard foods are avoided.
- βThe flavour window at 9 to 14 months, and what a child misses when textures are never offered.
- βThe difference between gagging and choking β one is loud, protective and part of learning; the other is quiet and a medical emergency.
- βThe red flags worth noting at the table: pocketing, swallowing food whole, coughing with liquids, cups or straws still hard after 18 months.
- βWhat you can actually do β texture progression, cutting food strategically, upright seating, calm pacing, and building skills through play.
Includes a real case study β Micah, age three, who pockets food and drinks his lunch β and a clear guide to when it's time to refer. You are not a therapist and you're not expected to be. You are an observer, a facilitator and a safety partner, and what you notice daily makes a real difference.
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