Kudos to everyone, I agree completely on teaching them responsible knife care while young (and accept a few cuts on the way).

Myself, I'm a big fan of fixed blades and not very much of a folder guy, so little help there. But I think more or less all of the suggested knives will work very well.

Is there any consensus on the "best" age for getting your first knife? Obviously, it will not only depend on your particular kid but also on the environment around you and what others deem acceptable. This forums has members from a lot of places, which is why I'm curious.


I remember very vividly being allowed to whittle for the first time by my parents out in the woods. Of course, I got cut. Which is probably why I remember it in such great detail. Don't remember how old I was - 5'ish? A very dear memory.



My kid got his first knife at his 5th birthday. Strict adult supervision rules only. That day, he got his first cut and gave us a very rash excercise in humility and the way kid's brains work: We made an agreement with him that he could whittle when all the guests were gone (outdoor birthday at the beach, beautiful day). When everyone was saying goodbye and the grownups were doing their endless farewell-chatting (for some reason, the chatting increases 10-fold when someone has packed their things and is about to leave) he got impatient and started nagging that he wanted to whittle. We reminded him about our agreement and I'll give him kudos for his quick thinking: A quick BYE - and by definition everyone has now "left" and therefore by agreement it is now "whittle time". Out comes the knife... Quick movements and knives go poorly together. 3 stitches to his left index finger and an excercise in how we handle cuts. A part of me is very ashamed for not watching out better, another part was very proud of his scar (that now is gone - bummer, it was a nice scar!)