But as our kids get older, we have also found that screentime makes it hard to compete with outdoor time. Going to a playground just isn’t as fun as it used to be (much to this mama’s heartbreak!) The knife itself isn’t really functional. The kit was simple for an 8 year old to put together, but younger children might need more assistance.

Kids will learn how to construct a tool, and can enjoy having a “toy” knife. The wooden knife is also a good way to teach kids knife safety before they are ready for a real blade. There is no set age that kids are ready for knives. We introduced our kids to knives when they were young, with the following rules: My three-year-old can open my Swiss Army Knife, which is why I was browsing the web for blameless or toy versions (hence landing here).

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I have to say I was concerned by the image of the child putting the Swiss Army Knife toy (albeit the ‘fork’ part) into her mouth. I agree with mist others, here, that it may encourage children to put real Swiss Army Knives or multitools into their mouths.

The pen knife should only be used when you need to use a pen knife and should not be carried around by children 'just in case' they need it. Remember to teach your kids to angle the blade away from themselves when using a knife, and watch how they use the folding knife so that the blade doesn't close on their fingers. (A good idea to teach first aid on cuts as well). If your kid has lots of experience with knives, and are ready for this kind of blade, they might enjoy the design of the carabiner knife. But be aware The blade isn’t rounded, which carries an additional safety risk. The LED light also never worked, but my kid didn’t seem to mind.Of course it’s dangerous, which is why we wanted to teach our kids to use them safely. This meant growing their skills based on their age and making sure they were supervised.