Proper age for giving a kid a knife

Victorinox will do the job.. :D
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A lot depends on the kid and the parent. But on average I would say 9 or 10 is a good age for a first small knife.

I got my first knife (Swiss Army)when I was 10.
 
(New guy here, first post)My dad gave me one when I was 7, he was never around and we lived on a 250 acre farm. For Xmas, I got a compound bow, a Swiss Army knife (brand new not taken down) and a red rider. I was mature when it came to dangerous things, but still a kid. He told me to wear leather gloves when I was using the knife which helped keep the top of a finger prob a few times. I cut myself once or twice once I took my gloves off, nothing I could heal from.(that'll teach yah to be careful real fast as a youngin') I still have both eyes, 10 fingers and no arrow sticking out of me at 28 :). Just supervise them unlike my absent father lol (best years of my life playin with all that stuff. I've had a knife in my pocket ever since~
 
Got tiny slip joint at 6. No serious injury ensued, though I did cut myself once.

My oldest is nearly 5. My wife is going to have a fit soon :).
 
I gave my 6 year old a XHP mule this year. He only gets to use it supervised. I have also let him use one of my gso 4.1s to baton a little. I am starting slow but I think exposure at a young age will be good.

I also bought him a 22 short single action rifle this year with a peep sight to expose him to firearms. Again I only let him shoot in a controlled environment but I think its a good first step.
 
Until they actually need it, and are self sustaining. So probably 16-18 in my mind. Not to say I won't teach them how to be safe with a knife, but they won't need it.
 
I started carrying a knife when I was about 5. My folks let me do that as long as I didn't do anything stupid or dangerous. In those days and in our little town every adult knew and "tended to" every child like they were the parents so we didn't have much of a chance to do anything we weren't supposed to.

These days, if I had kids I'd probably be like hank_612 and some other folks here and start 'em out with knives and firearms as early as I thought they could handle them. Certainly by 7 or 8 I'd want them to have had regular supervised exposure to both.
 
I am 67 years old, have been carrying a knife in my pocket over 60+ years, no not the same knife, but I grew up in a different time. Today kids can not even play Cowboy & Indians with out being called racist.

Think I got my first pocket knife at 5 years of age.
 
Age is not the only determining factor when deciding to give a knife to a child. I think the kind of environment you live in where the knife would tend to be more useful or if you are a regular camper would be a better determining factor. I don't think I would provide a knife if the child only views the knife as a weapon. I would let them continue to observe Dad using his knife as a tool until they come around to the idea that a knife is a useful tool.

I think the first knife should be a simple knife and one that is manual in operation. A slip joint comes to mind and more specifically, a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife (SAK) as a starter. The knife should be sized for the size of their hand. The child should learn some of the basics of sharpening the knife as well.

My first was a tiny slip joint that was probably sized about like a SAK Classic which I consider a key chain knife now.
 
My daughter asked for a knife for her 5th birthday. I got her a pink Benchmade Griptillian with a small sheepsfoot blade. At first it was only used under supervision. She is very cautious of the blade when closing it. She takes great pride in her knife and looks after it.
Only one cut finger in 2 years. I keep it shaving sharp so that she can sharpen sticks easily. There is no tension on the blade when closing, making it safer for littel hands. The axis lock is easy for children to handle.
 
My father let me help him clean some Crappie. He has a picture of me wearing a cap gun and a Case Mini-Finn sheathed on my belt. It looks like I am 8 years old.

My Daughter-in law won't let me give my grandson a knife. He's 13. Times have changed and not for the better.
 
I was 5 when I got my first. It was a 2 bladed old timer and I treated it like a sacred artifact. All I did was carve sticks with it. When I was 7 or 8 I went to an old country store and they sold me a cheap survival knife. I guess it depends on the kid though, I was even given a bolt action 410 shotgun when I was 8, to hunt squirrels and rabbits. I had all kinds of things when I was little.
The only thing I'd do that'd make my parents angry was when I'd catch rattle snakes and cotton mouths.
Then my Dad would kill my dangerous pets with a shovel. I lived on a ranch, I had mountain lions and coyotes to worry about. Not how scary a knife is.
Also, we didn't have video games in my home, so I had to make my own adventures.
 
got my first SAK around 8 years old, in the boy scouts (or cub scouts, I don't remember the ages). We learned how to whittle on bars of soap lol.
 
dc7rr said:
Hi all. I've got 2 little ones, a 5 1/2 yr old girl and a 4 yr old boy. I was just wondering at what age do you think proper for giving a child their first knife. And, what kind of knife did you give your child?
Also, what were some general ground rules? Example: "this is your knife but I'm keeping it for you". And so on and so forth.
Thanks all.
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As the responsible parent, that decision totally rests on you and your wife. There is obviously no set age limit when kids can have and own a knife. You have to determine through your own observation when your children are responsible enough. No one here knows your children or their behavior better than you.
 
RevDevil said:
As the responsible parent, that decision totally rests on you and your wife. There is obviously no set age limit when kids can have and own a knife. You have to determine through your own observation when your children are responsible enough. No one here knows your children or their behavior better than you.
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I agree with this 100%. I did not really start using/carrying knives until I was out of high school so I really had no idea what age parents who are avid knife people start their kids out. I am also gathering ideas as to what kind of knife to give them when I do and what kind of ground rules to set for them to establish a good sense of responsibility in them in regards to knives. My kids see me carry and use knives all the time so they are not foreign to them but I want to find a good way to build that respect for knives all people who carry and use knives should have.
 
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I would recommend watching your kids reaction when you are sitting with them outside, maybe whittling a stick or sharpening a kitchen knife. That is a good gauge (excitement level), when you have a knife in your hands, explain that it's a tool and not to be played around with because of injury, etc. This will associate your words with the knife itself in their minds (hopefully) and will begin a respectful relationship between sharp things and their responsible use. :thumbup:
 
Two of my three kids have knives of their own now, a girl (11) and a boy (9). I can't remember exactly, but they've had them for almost two years. Each spent a lot of time using MY knife under my close supervision before I'd even think of giving them a knife of their own. A first knife doesn't have to be some dull, stubby-pointed "safe" knife ...... not when the kid's had plenty of hands-on experience before earning a knife of his or her own.
 
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