Top 4 Safe Knives for Kids + Introducing Knife Skills to Kids

 Here are the top 4 safe knives for kids who are new to cooking plus tips for teaching knife skills! 

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1. Crinkle Cutter

This is a great first knife for kids. It is great for kids 18 months and up. It’s easy to hold with one or two hands. Instead of using a sawing motion to cut food it uses pressure to cut food.  And for added fun it cuts food with a fun crinkle edge.

Uses: cutting fruits and vegetables

2. Curious Chef Knife

The Curious Chef Knife is another great first knife for kids 3+. It’s larger than the other knives and has special grips making it easier for young kids to hold. It also has a blunt tip making it safer than regular knives.  The serrated edge also makes it easier to cut through foods with a tougher skin.

Uses: cutting soft and medium fruits and vegetables

3. Plastic Knife

Plastic knives are great transition knife as kids get older between 3-4 years old.  They are smaller so require better fine motor skills to hold. It’s fairly dull edge make them safer to use than a regular pairing knife.

Uses: cutting soft foods (see below), spreading on peanut butter, butter, jelly or avocado.

4. Butter Knife

Another great knife to use with kids starting around 4. This knife is smaller than the Curious Chef knife so it does require better fine motor skills to hold it. The knife is also less sharp than regular knives making it safer for your kids to use.

Uses: Cutting soft foods (see list below), spreading

Teaching cooking skill to kids is important for practicing safety in the kitchen, listening skills, and fine motor skills. The more practice they get using a knife the more independent they will become in the kitchen. Yes they still need supervision, but they will be able to complete more tasks without your help. Which in turn, allows them to be more helpful to you and build their confidence!

Teaching your Kids Knife Skills

1. First, make sure kids are standing on a flat surface (stool/learning tower) with both feet on the ground.
2.  Then, show them how to hold their knife. Sharp side down!
3. Demonstrate using the “claw” hold. Bend finger tips in (looks like a bear claw) and press down firmly on food with their finger tips only. This helps keep the food from moving around and protects their fingers from being cut.
4. Younger kids may need to be reminded over and over again. Safety and listening are important to prevent injuries. Practicing often will help improve their skills and make it safer for when they get older and are using sharper knives.
5. Show them how placing food, flat side down (if possible) makes it safer to cut (less wobbly!).
6. When they are done using their knife, have them to put their knife on their cutting board, sharp side faced away.
7. Have kids start with soft fruits or vegetables like bananas! These are the easiest to cut with any knife because the fruit is soft and when peeled doesn’t have a skin.

Soft Foods to Practice Knife Skills with

Bananas,  avocado,  peaches without skin, ripe pear, tomatoes, mushrooms, cooked vegetables, cooked potato or sweet potato, soft crust bread, cooked noodles, soft cheeses ( i.e. mozzarella), tender cuts of cooked meat like chicken or fish, tofu, cooked or canned beans

For more kids cooking tips, recipes and resources be sure to join my Facebook Group Cooking with Kids and and grab my Free printable 21 Kitchen Activities for Kids!

Check out our Knife Skills Lesson below!