How do you feel about children using knives? What is the greatest risk — children using knives or children not using knives? Does the risk lie in teaching a child the skills required to use a knife, or is the risk in not allowing a child to use a knife and denying them important life skills?
As a Montessori parent my children started using knives as toddlers. They started with a butter knife (or other dull round tipped knife and also vegetable choppers) to cut something soft like a banana. As the child gets older, the knife gets sharper and the food gets harder or more difficult to cut. I advocate for real knives and real food, however starting with a soft food and a dull knife allows for the child to develop their skills gradually.
At four years old Otis (pictured) can competently use a sharp knife. He holds both the knife and food safely. The knife is always small so that he can easily hold and control it. He will let me know if he needs help.
It’s not that I believe children should be doing adult work; it’s that I believe children are capable and for them it can be incredibly empowering. Children need risk. Risk challenges them and keeps them alert, it makes them responsive and teaches consequences. However parents are often so afraid, it’s to the detriment of their children.
Children need to learn new skills, real life skills. Once they are capable in one area, they will have the confidence to work and excel in other areas. When they complete real work there is a powerful sense of accomplishment which can build the child’s sense of self. Children need work and accomplishments they can be proud of.
If taught with care and patience children can become very capable and skilled. Using a knife can improve hand control. It can build hand and arm strength and fine motor skills.
With the same of amount of attention, they can also learn to use a grater or perhaps even a peeler (or other dangerous things).
Do you allow your children to use a knife? At what age did you teach them how to use it?
blogger / grape / 92 posts
I love the suggestions on how to introduce knife skills. Lately my littles and I have been watching Master Chef Junior during dinner once a week and marveling at the kids’ amazing skills. My oldest has been asking to get more involved in cooking, and now I have good ideas on how to manage that!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
I’m not a Montessori mom but we firmly believe all children should be comfortable in the kitchen and know where food comes from etc. DH and I love to cook and be in the kitchen so naturally we want this to translate to our children. My daughter is 3.5 and can competently use a wavy vegetable cutter to cut everything from carrots to zucchini. She loves to help in the kitchen whether it’s washing vegetables, cracking a egg or whisking together a batter. We pretty much let her as long as it does not involve being by a hot stove. For Christmas she’s getting her own whisk, and a “child safe” knife. She’s already got a rolling pin of her own and besides that I really don’t think it’s necessary to buy any other “kid sizes” items.
It’s probably only in the last month or two that we’ve trusted her to use the cutter without us right by her side. We think she’s ready to graduate to a knife. Which one is your LO one using?
pomegranate / 3225 posts
You have inspired me! I’m going to try it out with a butter knife and my three year old.
kiwi / 558 posts
I know DD does this work at her Montessori school as well but we haven’t yet implemented at home. We will definitely start to do more food prep with her help!!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
Yes. We let our 3 year old use a butter knife and I will let her use our smaller knives with supervision. She’s not great at it yet but she’s learning that she has to be very careful.
olive / 61 posts
Totally agree. My three year old is on his helping tower almost every night when I prepare dinner. Being around me while I cook helps him be more aware about the dangers in the kitchen which I feel makes him “safer” in the kitchen.
On a side note, he is also now tall enough to access the dead bolt to our main door. Instead of deterring him from unlocking the door, I have drilled in him to ask me if he can unlock the door. So now, everytime we are somewhere gated and he wants to leave I hear “Mommy, can I open the door please”. It gives me some peace of mind that he won’t just randomly open the door and escape.
cherry / 106 posts
At age four, I let the kid help prep dinner using a cheapo ikea steak knife and he generally cuts up zucchini also. Other vegetables are generally harder to cut up with what he has to use. He helps stir fry and drop pasta in boiling water.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
My big girl (3) loves to butter her own bread but the only problem is that it leaves my butter looking like it’s been attacked by 1000 tiny ninjas!
I also read somewhere that allowing children to experience risk at a young age will help to reduce the amount of risk they take as teenagers (Eg – allowing a child to experience and manage risk by climbing a tree rather than getting into a risky driving situation as a teenager).
guest
What knife is Otis using in the picture? I’d like to get a similar one for my kids
blogger / kiwi / 675 posts
I agree with this philosophy and try to let my kids help as much as possible in the kitchen. We do allow butter knives and plastic ones.
olive / 58 posts
Hi Cindy, The knife Otis is using in the pictures is sharp and I would only recommend giving it to the child once you are really confident with their skills. It’s one of my knives that he likes to use, it’s the Kuhn Rikon Serrated paring Knife. I’ve had it for years and it’s a great little knife!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dkitchen&field-keywords=kuhn+rikon+4-inch+nonstick+colori+serrated+paring+knife+red&ajr=0