At what age to teach my son knife use?

Stormstaff

Stormstaff

Joined
Dec 14, 2007
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Ok, may sound kind of silly but I learned as a young person through trail and error because I had no one around to show me.

My son turned 8 in Dec and I was curious when I should start trying to teach him knife use. What type of knife should I start with? Fixed so I don't have to worry about an accidental closure?

Also, how? Sorry, I feel like a dork asking this here but I know there's lots of helpful Dads and Sons for that matter that hopefully can help me out.

Thanks in advance for the help and hopefully not too much poking fun at me, hehe. :)
 
Now is good. I got my first knife at 7 years old...a Schrade Old Timer. Good memories.

Buy the boy a practical knife that looks nothing like a weapon (less temptation to use it inappropriately) and teach him basic rules of knife use, such as carving away from oneself, etc. I would recommend a folder for several reasons: It will inherently look less like a weapon, thus reducing the temptation to use it like one. It will teach him to be careful when closing/opening a knife, a lesson he will carry with him for the rest of his life. Also, if you let him carry it around, it will be less scary to other kids (and more importantly, other kids' parents) if it is a small, plain folder rather than a fixed blade, no matter the size.

Something like a SAK would be perfect. I would recommend something with Alox scales as they have more of an heirloom feel...Remember, he may have this knife till the day he dies. Plastic just doesn't cut it, IMO.

Also, remember that the kid is going to cut himself. It's inevitable. But we all cut ourselves when we were younger, and still do. It's part of the price of having knives. The chances of him being cut can be reduced by proper training/supervision, and you might even explain to him how to respond to being cut (don't panic, apply pressure, get help, etc.)

Good luck, and it's great that you want to get your kid a knife! :thumbup:
 
now. i got my frist knife and still have it when i was 5 or 6 it is a small Case folder.
 
I've got a 6 1/2 year old son. I made him a little fixed blade knife with a well rounded tip (I'm calling it a tactical butterknife). He's not allowed to have it unsupervised yet, but he's eager to learn. So far we've been sitting on the tailgate of the truck with sticks I've fresh cut from a softwood tree. I'll have him skin all the bark off and whittle the tips to a point. He's learning to always cut away from himself and how to let the blade do the work and not force it.

He loves the practice, and is proving to be a good study.
 
I started teaching my son knife usage at age 3-4. He doesn't get to touch real knives but I have training knives and he has more toy swords than I have real ones. I am constantly reinforcing proper usage like grips, edge safety and even correct cutting angles.

Then there is the whole ethics of appropriate force. Which I slip in during our sword fighting adventures. I probably won't let him have a real one until 7 or so.
 
now is definately a good time...:thumbup: i started to introduce the longbow and the knife to both of my boys, when they were 5..

my dad is an avid outdoorsman and i have been using knives just about as long as i can remember.... .
 
I remember seeing a photo of an Inuit child with an ulu-- the kid was maybe three years old. Kids need to learn when they need to cut something. My kids learned to cook and did all kinds of crafts, so tools were all around.

Cutting apples and carrots is as good a place to start as any. It's a nice controlled space and then he gets to eat the results.

Getting outdoors, something like preparing a weenie roasting stick or some other useful thing is a good way to start. The point is, you want it to be a natural part of the process rather than some big deal session about knives. Show him how to peel the bark and make a point, giviing tips on handling the blade safely, being responsible with tools, using them with skill and practice, just like any other physical task.

In fact, a knife is just another tool, and he should be using hammers, screwdrivers, drills and the rest, all with the same care and respect.

When I was about six, my Dad was remodeling the house and he had me pulling the nails out of the old boards and putting them in a jar. Then he got out a chunk of 2" thick steel and he had me STRAIGHTEN the old nails--- tap tap tap, roll, tap, roll, tap... I realize now that these tasks kept me busy and out of his hair, but I was helping and I learned how to pull 50 year old nails from hard dry lumber, and I got all kinds of hand-eye training in getting those nails straight.

The Old Man is still kicking at 80 and a sly old fox yet. :) He's a journeyman lineman and machinist too, and we always had tools. It was just a given that when something was broken, you just got out the tools and fixed it.

That start still employs me today and I've passed it along to my son, who is finishing up a degree in Technical Theatre, making sets and props, lighting, audio, and all the rest. We repaired 24 feet of fence together over the holidays and it was great to have a helper who is good with tools.
 
My boys are 9 and 11 and I still haven't been able to bring myself to introduce them to knives. The irony is that I was 7-8 when I got my first pen knife (my granddad was the VP of Utica Cutlery). I know it's time and they can probably handle things but the minute they cut themselves that first time, my wife will kill me!
 
Mum and Dad got me my first pocket knife when I was 7, my first kukri when I was 9, and I started teaching my boys when they were about 7. Its worked out well, they are comfortable around knives, and use them well, and they are somewhat more grown up now to.
 
The sooner the better, aslong as he can hold a knife without dropping it, and without poking it places where it doesn`t belong.
I got my first knife from my granddad when i was 5 or 6. The earlier kids learn how to use a knife, and how not to use a knife, the better. Maybe it`ll teach them that knives are tools, not weapons. Just like guns, which are tools, not weapons.
 
I'd also suggest a knife with a short blade to start. If the worst were to happen, a shorter knife would cause less injury.
 
When I was in the boyscouts cubs, people from about 7-8 had knives without any real supervision: mostly opinels and SAK (without any locking system).
We had actually very little problems. Probably because those knives were quite dull and used mostly for cooking and to cut strings.
The only serious incident I've witness was once when a 9 year cut bread other his arm's vein in a very professional "down the road" way. Fortunatly cut was shallow and vein wasn't actually puncture. Still pretty big adrenalin rush.

Actually I've seen more damages with saws (including myself: a very funny story were I was actually able to see some of my own bones live :eek:, a very memorable experience, got a bit pale...). - Axes were only seldomly available. There would surely have been some great potential.
 
my sons were about 3-4 years old when they started to learn how to use a knife. basic whittling under supervision from an adult.
it is verry important that they use a sharp knife! a dull knife needs more force to do the same job, and is more likley to cause an accident.
oh, and get alot of bandaids ready before you start...you're gonna need them:D

-jontok
 
Victorinox has a plastic SWAK for children. I recommend starting as early as possible! :D

That being said I think my number one suggestion would be taking a Mora scout knife and rounding the tip. One of my first knife experiences was with my dad's Mora (still have it, though he didn't know how to take care of knives so it rusted in the basement) and the first cut I gave myself was using it to stab at bottle caps when I was in kindergarten. :D The guard prevents the hand from slipping and the blunted point would help prevent stabbity destruction. And no worries about lock failure! ;)
 
All of my boys, the youngest 4, and th oldest 10, are in differant stages of knife skill development. The 4 year old mainly cuts up food, and uses a small lockblade, or micro canadian, the 10 year old batons, makes trap parts, and harvests mushrooms etc with his JK, or SAK, or buck 110. The 8 yr old is somewhere in between.

I introduced them as soon as they were old enough to understand a knife was sharp.

I dunno, I guess so young mainly because alot of the skills I am trying to instill in them early require a knife at some stage. I have never regreted it.

Biggest thing is keeping on them about upkeep of their tools. Making sure they are oiled, and sharpened. Especially the 10 yr olds carbon steel knives.

I say if they can hold it, and understand the power of a sharp tool, then they are ready. With supervision of course.
 
Yep, as others said, now is good. I have 2 boys and both started around 5. I gave each a small p.o.s. and dulled the blade somewhat (quite a bit) on the belt sander. I then taught them how to handle it and they were never allowed to get it out without permission (from me only) and I had to be right there. As their skills progressed (Actually working with the youngest now as he just turned 6) I ad a better edge and allow them to cut something. Then they are/were allowed to sit by campfire and whittle a stick. It's been fun and so far no accidents... :thumbup: Good luck and be patient. :D
 
By the time I was 8 - I already had my own knife, small backpack with assorted "stuff" and a single shot .22 - I was a woods bum with my dad.
 
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