What is the appropriate age for a child to have a knife

shootist16

shootist16

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I know this is going to vary from child to child, but in general what would be an appropriate age?
 
I think I was six or seven when my grandfather gave me my first little pocket knife. That's where it all started.
 
It verys to much. I know little ten year olds I cold trust with a knife but then I know 17 year olds that I wouldnt trust with a blunt screwdriver.:D
 
I know 30 year olds that I would no trust with a blunt screwdriver. My 10 year old nephew has a small SAK.

Regards,

Ed
 
My dad gave me a small slipjoint pocketknife when I was 6 or 7 years old. Then I moved on to carbon steel Mora at the age of 8.

Interestingly, a Norwegian newspaper ran an article on this subject a few years ago. It suggested that a child should get a knife at the age of five, and preferably no later than the age of ten. But it all depended on the individual childs maturity, so there are no absolutes. But it was suggested that it would generally be unvise, to give a child its first knife as late as the age of 12 to 14.

But I`m just a student in my early 20s, so what do I know about raising kids???

Nils
 
Generally I think the school enrolment is a appropriate occasion/date to allow a child his own knife.
 
I have 4 boys and yes each one carries a knife. Also each one was given a knife at a different age. If I remember right the ages were 7, 10, 6, 8 respectively.

I gave each boy a little test prior to giving him his own knife. I gave each boy one of my small pocket knives to carry for two weeks. Rules were, it cannot be left lying around, it cannot be produced and opened to impress friends, it cannot be abused.

Once passed I gave him his own knife.
 
My two sons were slicing the ribs out of fish fillets when they were 4 and 6. My daughter started carring when she was about six. My grandson started carring a neck knife at 5 and a balisong at 6. My granddaughter is almost 4 and doesn't have one "yet". I got a bubble gum machine knife at age 4 and lost it down the side of the window of a 36 chevy sedan of my uncles. I cried because they wouldn't take the door panal off to get it :(.
Me ex told me not to let the boys use them "sharp" knives to fillet the fish because they might cut themselves. I told her "so do I", but they didn't because they respected them and were careful. That is just a part of learning.
 
I really like the idea of loaning them a knife before you give them one. I hate to take back a gift, it really maximises hard feelings. And you can apply more rules to a knife you are loaning. I think it may improve your chance of first time success.

I like to start with a small knife with a sheepsfoot (no point) blade and a screwdriver. You can get keychain knives for a couple bucks (called something like Trim Trio) that fit the bill. They won't do any grievous bodily injury to themselves with the knife and they are likelier to find a legitimate use for the screwdriver than the knife blade. Giving a kid a tool for which he/she has no constructive use greatly increases the likelihood of the tool being used for a destructive purpose. A boy in the back seat of a car on a long trip with a pocket knife....

Somewhere around 6 is a reasonable age to start. It may depend on coordination as well as temperment.
 
as my daughter was 7 i gave her a 2,5" fixed (i dulled the point) for carving.
but it has to be stored in my knivedrawer and used only under my control.
i prefer fixed because i remember cutting myself in this age mostly while closing or opening a folder.


As a general rule, how about tis:
Do not give kids knives before they are old enough to do first aid.
 
I got my first knife at eight. I was also taught to treat it with respect, and to use it as a tool and not a toy. These lessons have stayed with me ever since.
 
When they are ready to use them resposibly I guess. Probably best to treat each case with some judgement. I've seen local village kids carrying parangs (a local machete-type knife) and using them with a maturity way beyond their ages because them have been taught from a very young age that the knife is a tool not a toy. On the other hand, I have some real terrors among the children of my relatives that I would never give a knife to.

Andrew Limsk

Originally posted by shootist16
I know this is going to vary from child to child, but in general what would be an appropriate age?
Click to expand...
 
I think I was about 4...imitation Buck 110 if I remember correctly. It really depends on the kid...
 
I got my first knife about 10 years ago.
When I was 6.
A small liner locking Old Timer single blade pocket knife. maybe a 2.5 inch blade.

Never got anything that wasnt a lock-blade till I was late 8 or early 9.
Got my first fixed blade at 9 or 10.

But I think it really does depend on the "child"......cause I know 4 year old I would trust with my EKI Commander, and 40 year olds I wouldnt trust with a pointy stick.
 
I gave my son his first at 5yrs. It a copy of the US GI i dulled the blade and the only time he was allowed to use it was when i was around. I just purchased him a SAK hiker. He knows proper handling but as we all no i am still waiting for the day he will cut himself like we all have (either as adults or children). But as all have stated it will vary from child to child.

Colt
 
It is a family tradition, that my grandchildren (boys like girls) get their first knife on their 4.th birthday.
It's a "mini SAK" (keychain type).
Happy sharpening :)
 
Andrew, children have to be taught to be responsible. It is the duty of the person giving the knife to make sure that the child will use it in the appropriate manner.
 
I got my first puukko at age of three (closer to four) but that caused some scars on my little hands. I was told however newer to use the point as most of my cuts came because I used tip. If my grandfather saw me using tip I lost my knife for some time (some weeks??). As far as I remember he stopped my every experiment with the tip. Child should let to whittle on adult supervision at age of about four and be given a dull pointed fixed blade depending how that child can handle the tool. If the child doesn't seem to learn how to handle the tool and responsibility that cames with it adults just have to spend more time with a whittling child. Moments with my grandfather when I learned to use a puukko are one of my dearest memories and I bet that he wasn't too troubled to teach me.

Here in Finland biggest puukko manufacturers do make dull pointed puukkos for kids.
 
When I was 8 I found a HUGE buck hunting fixed blade the biggest one they make in the woods in back of our house. When I showed it to my dad (after two days of Playing with it in the woods) he was kind of startled and made me a deal. He got to keep the hunting knife, and I get to choose a pocket knife from the store. We went to the store and I chose a Buck folder a Bucklite I think. He tought me some basic safety and I carried it every day after school until someone in my boyscout troop stole it. I also remember him giving me a small slipjoint and a U.S. stainless army knife which my younger brother threw at me into the field and we never found it. As I recall My dad never did give my brother a knife.
 
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