Need advice from the fathers out there...

If he wants to feel like a big boy, and have a knife to pry with, get him a kid's knife with a dull blade. I do not think a five year old is responsible enough to be given a sharp knife.
 
Sounds like a niche market for folding butterknives exists.

I agree that 10 is better than 5 for knives; being a child is more responsible and coordinated at 10 than at 5 and 10 knives are better to have...
 
I can remember my first knife at about the age of 9 or 10. That being said, kids tend to mature at different rates. Still, 5 is a bit young, IMO, to be "using" a knife. Now long before I had a knife, I did have screwdrivers and other tools like that.

For my own son, I followed the advice of the cub scouts. When a cub scout begins to work on his Bear badge, about the age of 8-9, they can earn their whittling chip card, having learned the rules of knife safety, etc. The boys in my den did very well, and none cut themselves while in "training". Of course it's only a matter of time before they do, and even as adults, we all cut ourselves. :rolleyes:

Good luck with this...

Glenn
 
My first came at age 7......AFTER I could prove that I knew what it was for by fillteing 3 fish. It is a tradition that you get your knife only after filleting a fish- this act will definitively tell you if a person has the dexterity and presence of mind to use a knife properly..This is how I will probably evaluate my daughter (and future children) before giving her the "first" knife (of many I am sure). Does anybody have a similar experience with a test before they got their knife??

P.S. My first knife (unique fish heads puuko form my Grandmothers home in Norway) was lost while hunting gophers a number of years after my dad died. Man I wish I could have it back but maybe I'll get to Bodo someday......
 
OK, can anyone explain exactly why 5 is too young?

Yeah, there are some kids who I wouldn't trust with a butter knife at age 12, but others are perfectly OK with a sharp pocket knife at age 4.

Just because my kid had 3 good blades by age of 6 does not mean the next kid is ready for any sharp knife at 12.

To the OP, 5 is old enough for SOME kids. Whether yours is or not is something you have to decide.
 
RagPicker said:
OK, can anyone explain exactly why 5 is too young?

Yeah, there are some kids who I wouldn't trust with a butter knife at age 12, but others are perfectly OK with a sharp pocket knife at age 4.

Just because my kid had 3 good blades by age of 6 does not mean the next kid is ready for any sharp knife at 12.

To the OP, 5 is old enough for SOME kids. Whether yours is or not is something you have to decide.
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Exactly... There are no right or wrong answers - just opinions based on our experience as fathers. My kids definitely weren't ready for knives at five but that doesn't mean another child may not be. Ultimately, you have to rely on your own good judgement to decide when your kids are ready to safely handle sharp knives.
 
RagPicker said:
OK, can anyone explain exactly why 5 is too young?
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watch kindergarteners do anything that requires motor skills or spatial orientation. throw a ball to them, watch them try to copy shapes, or hold a prncil or use scissors. they're not developmentally ready, especially when it comes to things that can severely hurt them.

most five year olds can't tie a shoelace because the movements required are beyond their physical development curve. its like letters. most kindergartners can identify letters. show them a letter and they can tell you what it is. the mechanics of actually forming those letters is a whole nother animal.

i think, responsibilitywise, there ARE 5 year olds who are mature enough to use a knife, but the 5 year old that has the motor skills to use one without hurting themself is the exception.
 
Hi,
I had 2 sons, and now 4 grandsons...not a one of them ever needed a knife to get Legos apart.
Who gave this young man that idea....???
John
 
First, I'm only 16. I have been in cub/boy scouts since tigers (about 5 or 6 years old) and learned to properly handle anything from knives to power tools. My first 'real' knife, I still have today, a U.S. Schrade Old Timer. A 3 blade non-lockback. In fact, I just sharpened it last week. It was given to me by my father, and in the beginning it was my knife to hold but was not to leave the house. After proving myself worthy, about 2 years later I bought my first Gerber (which I also still have and use). Now, if I want it and its legal, all I have to go is come up with the money.

In my opinion, if you arent sure that he would be able to handle it properly, he should not be given one. Show him yours, let him hold them, get him comfortable. Let him know that they are tools and when used properly can be very useful. Before I was allowed to widdle, I used to be given a bar of soap and a plastic butter knife. Worked wonders, just dont do it over your wife's carpet. A few months of that and he should begin to pick up the fundementals of using a knife.

If you really feel that he is ready, you could buy a cheap 2" lockback and show him how to properly widdle. Dulled (even to the point of being a nail file without the file) or not, it WILL still break the skin. Yes, cutting oneself is part of growing up, but not before one is ready. I dont care WHO is watching but prying of any sort, ESPECIALLY of lego's is going to get him hurt.

Buy him this: http://shop.lego.com/ByCategory/Product.aspx?p=630&cn=266&d=203 it works wonders. I cant tell you how many times I have impaled my hands and fingers with eyeglass screwdrivers trying to get those bricks apart. It just isnt a smart thing to do.
 
My first knife was one I found at age seven (43 years ago). My dad taught me how to sharpen it, whittle with it and take care of it. I was not allowed to use it without his supervision until I was about nine.

With my children they all got knives by age seven or eight. We spent hours together carving bars of ivory soap and then graduated to whittling "real wood" My sons both had .22's at age 10 and Randall model 15's at age 13. All three kids now collect knives but my daughter seems to get a bigger kick trying to sell my knivers to her classmates.

Five might be a little young, especially considering hand/eye coordination, but you can best gauge their maturity. Kids are different, just like grown-ups.

Use knives to spend time with your kids, you won't just whittle wood, you will also build bridges that will last a lifetime.
 
This afternoon my 7 yr old son came into my office to proudly show me the cut on his finger. it was done with his latest knife, a Buck he got for Christmas.

"It was the only one of my knives I hadn't cut myself with and now I did."

I guess I never was that concerned if he cut himself a bit now and then. As long as he follows the safety rules the cuts won't amount to more than minor nicks. And in my opinion, minor nicks are part of growing up. Maybe my backwoods of the Ozarks upbringing messed up my thinking. I had full, unsupervised access to my dad's .22 by the time I was 10. I knew if I screwed up I would catch hell PLUS lose privileges. So I didn't screw up. Simple as that.

As far as the motor skills... hey I don't know... I do know most of the kids I see now are wimps and sissies and act like babies. My kid was using cordless drills (light weight 7.2 volt, not my heavy 18 volt Milwaukee!) proficiently by the age of 5, etc. He had his own tool box he took on jobs with me and my wife at age 3. It had real tools, not toys. Screwdrivers, saws, hammer, pliers, etc.

Maybe I just don't know how to raise a kid...
 
5 seems young to me but my kids are turning 2 and 4 so it's hard for me to say what my oldest will be like at 5, but he's pretty handy with things already. I think my fear would be if I gave a 5 year old a knife and they cut themself badly and needed to go to the hospital or doctors, trying to explain why the kid was using a sharp knife. They hand out safety scissors for a reason in kindergarten, and probably most of the way through gradee school.

I like the idea about giving a SAK and dulling the big blade. This way the kid could learn how to open a slip joint, play with it and learn how to keep the blade from snapping shut. Even a dull SAK blade would probably pinch a bit if it was closed in your finger. The kid could have fun with the screw drivers, bottle opener, etc. Might be able to pry about leggo blocks with a dull SAK blade, but I never remember having to pry my leggos apart. Maybe you should work on getting the kid a bit stronger with some excercises so he can rip those things apart like a man. :)
 
I think that 5 is a little young for most kids. When I was 5 (back in 1955) I almost lost one of my fingers when my older brother chopped it with a tomahawk. He was 8 at the time. Yes, we were little monsters. But I have had to live with limited mobility in that finger ever since. When my son was 9 I gave him a blunted SAK. You should have seen the look in his eyes when he realised that I trusted him. I taught him how to use it and sharpen it. He never injured himself with it even though he doesn't have the skills to be a craftsman. There is no hard and fast rule. Look at your kid and decide if they have the maturity. Most at that age don't, even though there may be exceptions. But whatever you do. Back it with instruction and help.
 
Boy, you guys are making me think now.

I gave my 8 year old son a Buck "Knight" (Under 2" blade "mini 110") for Christmas. He SEEMS ready for it, but I think I'll dull the blade for now. I can just see the "dagger eyes" of my wife if he gets a bad cut from it. I still think he can handle it safely, but I certainly wouldn't want to find out the hard way that I'd used bad judgement in letting him have it too early...
 
I got my fist knife around 5, It was and one of my grandfather’s old three blade folders. However it was filled with super glue and could not be opened, as I recall I felt proud to have it even if I couldn’t use it.
 
My sons nearly eleven and this is him with my Temperance....I will get it back though,maybe when he's sleeping !!!!
SaanichInlet001.jpg
 
I started this thread just before I went out of town for work, and I am surprised at all the input I have received in just a couple of days. Thanks to all of you that posted, I really appreciate the input, especially the links to starter knives and the suggestions to go with lockbacks or fixed blades.

A couple of you brought up the question of why Lego's needed to be pried apart, and I think I need to clarify. These are the very tiny ones that lock together tightly, and they don't really need prying, just separated slightly so they can be pulled apart.

I have decided to buy him a watch to give him a sense of responsibilty for now, and I'll get a knife that will be "his", but will be in my posession while he grows a little bit more and develops in dexterity and judgement.

Again, thank you all for giving your honest and enlightening opinions. I'm glad I asked.
Regards,
Dave
 
Get an old butter knife, hack saw the blade and handle to fit his hand, grind it round, sand smooth and polish if you're up to it (this stainless is soft and easy to work with) and presto you have a custom, made by dad LEGO knife.
 
I'm not sure if it has been mentioned, but knives really shouldn't be used to pry.

You may want to actually look into a Lego separator tool, I'm not sure if they still make them, you could also damage the Legos with a knife.

Found this on the bay:

9c43_1.JPG
 
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