Carving with Kids: Tips, Rules and Ideas for Crafting and Whittling with your Swiss Army Knife

Being outdoors and learning new crafts that engage with the natural world is great for children’s wellbeing. They are explorers, problem-solvers, artists, freedom-seekers – what better place for playing than the woods? With the right pocket knife kids can whittle and carve amazing creations, from wizard wands and animal shapes to wooden spoons. The only limit is their own imagination.

If you don’t know where to start or are simply looking for some inspiration for yourself or for your children, check out our ideas for some cool carving inspiration. Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced whittler, you’ll have fun learning how to carve a spinning top, a wooden fork or a little gnome.

Aun cuando amamos tomarnos la vida de manera lúdica, cuando se combinan niños y herramientas la seguridad es esencial. Si bien nuestras navajas My First Victorinox tienen hoja redondeada para mayor seguridad, la hoja como tal es tan filosa como la de nuestras navajas de bolsillo normales. Por lo tanto, no hace falta decir que la regla de oro es que todos los niños deben estar bajo supervisión cuando usen una Navaja Suiza.

Antes de comenzar sus aventuras, tómese un tiempo para familiarizarse con el resto de nuestras nueve reglas de seguridad. Desde la regla básica de que para tallar y esculpir hay que sentarse, estas reglas también contienen información importante sobre cómo manipular y sostener una navaja, que es vital para la seguridad de los niños (¡y de los adultos!).

Teaching these basic safety rules will help your child be responsible and build confidence. As our in-house carving expert, Felix Immler, says: “They are no more dangerous than a bicycle or a skateboard. Kids just need to be taught how to use them.”

Felix himself is a world of creativity and inspiration. As the author of three books on the topic, he is considered a leading expert on whittling and crafting for children and adults alike. Learn more about what he teaches in his kids carving workshops and what he loves so much about an adventure in the forest with his pocket knife.

Learning through play and activity allows kids to follow their curiosity and creativity whilst developing new skills. Which is why we’ve created a range of pocket knives designed specifically for small hands and busy youngsters.