A real Japanese-style pull saw is the top woodworking recommendation from Reddit's woodworking community for young kids — safer than push saws and effective enough to actually cut wood. Cuts on the pull stroke, reducing the force needed and making it easier for small arms.
The r/woodworking community specifically calls out a Japanese pattern saw as the right first real cutting tool for a 4-year-old — it's not a toy, it works, and the pull-stroke design is genuinely safer for kids.
“I'd get a royba, a Japanese pattern saw (crosscut on one side, rip on the other), some”
