Folding knife for my kid.

Both my kids got Kershaw Emerson trainers (at around ages 2 and 4). They are great, and the kids love them. They can't work the frame lock at all, which is also awesome because I can tell them they aren't ready for a real knife until they can work the frame lock.

ETA: my kids totally know the difference between mine and theirs, and they won't go anywhere near mine if the blades are deployed.

 

I’m in the same boat as OP. Except my wife is adamant he doesn’t get a knife until he is much much older.
I don’t know about anyone else but it’s my belief that one cannot truly learn to use a knife properly without a working edge. My father started to teach me gun and knife safety and use before I was 5. We had many talks and lessons while I watched my dad shoot, cut, sharpen, etc. As soon as he was confident that I understood the basics and was able to comprehend and follow his direction I got to go hands on. We went skeet shooting for my first time, but I was not allowed to touch or even get too close to the launcher. The first time I got to use my dads buck 110 was to cut fishing line and whittle the stick we used to anchor the chain fish stringer. It was quite a few years before I was able to use a knife on my own or carry my own outside of outdoor activities. I learned how to use a knife by instruction and making the mistakes I was taught not to. I also learned first aid and how to fabricate a story so I didn’t get my knife taken after requiring sutures on multiple occasions. Anyways despite how my wife feels now, I’ll be teaching my son as soon as he’s capable.

 

Klecker makes a good plastic knife kit. My son loved his.
Also got him a knockoff plastic sak toy he enjoys, (he's 6 now, almost 7, had the toys since he was 4).

What I did though was use a silver paint marker to draw a "sharp edge" on them, and a red paint marker for a small blood spot on the sharp edge, as a reminder for him that the sharp edge will cut him.

 

Bottom line on stuff like this is it's the parent's decision and normally both parents. At what age did I get my first knife? First Grade or Age 6..... yes, mine was a real knife, but it was a very small slip joint that was kinda cute. At 3rd grade, I got something a bit larger to fit my growing hands.

I bought a Vic First Knife model for a grand kid in elementary school.... I was over ruled and still have the knife. Brand new.

 

My mom and dad were separated so while my mom would have said no if my dad asked her first I got my first knife and airgun at age 7.
My mom wasn't to happy about it but she knew the significance of such things when it pertains to a father and son and knew that care would be taken.

Maybe I was the exception not the rule but I remember no official safety talks or truly being supervised while using it, all I got was " be careful, don't cut yourself " and that was all I needed I suppose.
I was pretty cautious and to this day making any cuts towards my support hand don't feel right and I avoid them as much as possible.

 

Cut yourself a few times and you learn. I don't recall any real safety discussions on knife use other than cut away from your body.

I got a Daisy BB gun in the 2nd grade with allowance money. My older brother used to point his BB gun at me and laugh.... I hated that!! We both got our BB guns at the same time.

 

Didn't get my Daisy till I was 12, started with a Crosman 66 powermaster and to this day traditional multi stroke pneumatics are my favorite platform.
I currently have 12 MSP's in my AG arsenal.

My grandmother always told me about what her older brothers used to tell her " the father away you are the less it'll hurt ".

As far as knives goes for me the fear of cutting myself was pretty much enough, of course I've cut myself because shit happens and It doesn't happen very often that's for sure.