Progression of Knives

Allowing a child to use a knife may seem scary to some, but there is a reason behind the importance of it. Properly using a knife contributes to the development of fine motor skills, as well as a love of cooking and being in the kitchen. That said, there are a progression of knives that can be introduced at different developmental ages to help the child properly use a knife. In the Montessori and Waldorf education philosophies, they actively promote that the child independently work around the home. For example, part of kindergarten readiness is being able to use a scissor properly. It is important to provide opportunities to be able to use fine motor skills such as digging, manipulating play doh, cutting, beading, etc.

The picture above shows the progression of knives to use with your child starting when they are a toddler. All children are different but I will give a general guideline of ages to use with the knives:

1. Between 18 and 30 months (in her hand) Etsy Maverick Wood Carving (this is no longer available as of 7/18/23.) This is another wooden knife option that I have not tried yet.
2. Between 2.5-3.5 years old (butter knife on the right)
3. Between 3.5-5.5 years old plastic knife (all the red and white knives available on amazon shop)
4. Between 6 -7 years old opinel knife (wooden @opinelusa knife)
5. 7+ years old is the last knife (the knife on the left)