19/01/2026
🥄 Spoon Theory is a helpful way to understand your child’s energy and gives kids and parents a shared language to talk about energy and capacity. ✨🧡
Imagine your child starts the day with 10 spoons.
Each task uses some of them.
Getting dressed might take one.
Going to school might take three.
On harder days, things like noise, transitions, or lots of social interaction can use up a spoon too.
When sleep has been poor, stress is high, or your child is unwell, they often start the day with fewer spoons.
You might notice they’ve run out of spoons if they’re more easily frustrated, shutting down, or feeling overwhelmed. it is important to know that this is not because they’re being “naughty”, but because their energy is genuinely depleted.
Supporting your child can look like helping them “wash their spoons” through rest, predictability, connection, movement, and quiet time.
💡 Where did Spoon Theory come from?
Spoon Theory was created by Christine Miserandino in 2003 to explain the exhaustion caused by her chronic health condition, lupus. She used spoons to represent the limited amount of energy she had each day. In more recent years, it’s also been used to describe the mental and sensory fatigue often experienced by neurodivergent brains.
Learn more here at this blog post from Kids that Go: http://bit.ly/45NKNK6
