Have you ever wondered which pens and pencils are the best for toddlers? Our daughter is shopping for preschools and we made sure to get a pencil with a big eraser that can be used for a long time. She has been getting a lot of use out of her new jumbo pencil.
In this review, I will be sharing with you the best tools that are right for your toddler.
Stabilo EASYorignal
The Stabilo Easystart hand writing pen is a great beginner rollerball pen that is available for both left or right-handed writers. The pen itself has a moulded grip with indentations for accurate placements of finger pads and its tapered end ensures that it sits snugly in to the curve of the hand. It comes in a range of colours that will undoubtedly make it an exciting addition to any pencil case.
Firesara Pencil Grips
Firesara offer a range of exciting, attractive pencil grips that can be fitted to any regular pen or pencil to help children learn to grip the instrument correctly. From butterflies to elephants and dolphins in a range of different shapes and colours and universally designed with grips and indentations to help achieve the perfect tripod grip. Each grip is made of silicone and is non-toxic and odourless.
Firesara Pencil Grips on Amazon
Universal Ergonomic Writing Grips
The ergonomic writing grip is generally familiar to everyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s. The main difference being that where they used to be foam based, these days they are made of high grade silicone. The general premise remains the same, to increase the girth of the pen or pencil to help with writing grip.
PenAgain Pens (and Pencils) / Rockyt Writers
At first glance the PenAgain pen is somewhat misleading. Its 2-dimensional rocket shape does not seem naturally useful to learning to perfect the tripod grip. Yet when you see how it is actually meant to be used, it begins to make sense. With the forefinger guided through the ‘rocket’s’ ends, the tripod grip comes naturally. There are optional grip or no-grip versions of the same style and of course a range of different colours.
Should Kindergarteners Use Fat Pencils
Parents often wonder if they should buy fat or jumbo-sized pencils for their children who are starting Kindergarten.
It is widely advocated by many teachers of preschool and Kindergarten students that standard size #2 pencils are not suitable for kindergarten aged children as they have not developed the motor skills to hold them. The barrels are too long and thin and the lead breaks easily as the children cannot control the pressure on the point of the pencil as older children and adults can.
A 2015 study by Becky Sinclair and Suzanne Susan Szabo for the Texas Journal of Literacy Education tested preschool and kindergarten students to find out what impact the size of the pencil had on the students.
| Pencil Type | Length in Inches | Diameter in Centimetres | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Skinny Pencil | 3.5 | 0.75 | Golf Pencil |
| Short Oversized Pencil | 4.0 | 1.0 | Cut Down Jumbo Pencil |
| Long Skinny Pencil | 7.25 | 0.75 | Standard Sized Pencil |
| Long Oversized Pencil | 7.5 | 1.0 | Regular Jumbo Pencil |
As you can see from the table, they used four pencils that had different lengths and diameters. A different pencil was given to the children each day to write with and on Friday they were asked to choose their favorite pencil to write with.
| Short Oversized Pencils | Long Oversized Pencils | Short Skinny Pencils | Long Skinny Pencils | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Year Olds | 6 | 5 | 20 | 4 |
| 4 Year Olds | 4 | 5 | 18 | 4 |
| 5 Year Olds | 4 | 18 | 2 | 8 |
| Totals | 14 | 28 | 40 | 16 |
Note: The total number of preschoolers in the study was 66 and the total number of kindergarten students was 32.
The results were quite surprising as an overwhelming majority of the children at preschool chose the short skinny pencils. Whereas the children at kindergarten preferred the long oversized (jumbo) pencils.
This does not mean that you should rush out and buy golf pencils for your preschoolers but it is certainly an option worth considering. Remember that this is only one small study and nearly all preschools will either be using or recommend jumbo pencils. Perhaps try both with your child and see which they prefer.
Don’t forget no matter how busy you are you should never leave young children unsupervised with any writing instruments.
Jumbo-Sized Round Barrel Kids Pencils
We recommend that you start with a jumbo-sized round barrel for your kids who are at preschool or kindergarten. The other thing to take into consideration is the length of the pencil most of the pencils are the same length as a standard-sized adult pencil.
There are some teachers that believe that the Jumbo-sized pencils are too long for their students. And recommend using a shorter pencil which they think is better proportioned and balanced for your child’s hands. This goes against the results from the study which showed that the kindergarten students chose a long oversized pencil as their favorite.
The other issue with this is that all the jumbo-sized (fat) pencils are the length of a standard size pencil. And the smaller pencils such as the Dixon Ticonderoga Golf Pencil and the Write Size pencil may be shorter but their barrel diameter is thinner than that of a jumbo size pencil.
Dixon Ticonderoga My First Pencil
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The Dixon Ticonderoga My First Pencil is the number one choice of parents and teachers for preschoolers and kindergartners. These pencils have a nice wide barrel at just over 10mm in diameter and a strong dark #2 HB graphite core that is smooth writing.
They are the biggest selling beginners children’s pencil on Amazon with over 19,500 5 star reviews and completely blow away any of the other kid’s jumbo-sized pencils for sale online. A lot of the positive reviews are from school teachers so you can’t really get a better endorsement than that.
There are lots of manufacturers selling jumbo or fat pencils and we have the best listed here but what makes Dixon Ticonderoga stand out from the rest is they are made from quality materials. Dixon Ticonderoga uses American Incense Cedar Wood to make all their Ticonderoga pencils, it is a softwood that does not splinter and is easy to sharpen without blunting the sharpeners blades.
By using quality materials means that Dixon Ticonderoga My First Pencils do cost a little more than the others but are well worth the extra cost. It will save your child lots more trips to the pencil sharpener and the frustration of the lead breaking more easily. If you would like to know more then check out our post on Why Do Pencil Leads Break So Easily.
Dixon Ticonderoga Beginners Pencil
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Some people get a little confused as there is also a pencil called the Dixon Ticonderoga Beginners Pencil. It is exactly the same diameter and length as the Dixon Ticonderoga My First Pencil but it is embossed in green with “Beginners Pencil” instead of My First Pencil.
It looks like the Beginners Pencil is aimed at schools and people who require larger quantities and the My First Pencil for retail sales to parents.
Dixon Ticonderoga state that The Beginners only come in a pack of 12 they are unsharpened and can be bought with or without erasers. My First Pencils are pre-sharpened and can be bought as a pack of 2, a pack of four, or in a pack of 12. The pack of 4 is supplied with a sharpener.
Which brings us nicely on to pencil sharpeners unless you are buying the pack of 4 pencils that are supplied with a pencil sharpener then you will need to buy one. The pencils are too big for normal pencil sharpeners so you will need to get a bigger sized pencil sharpener.
Jumbo TOT Round Pencil
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The Jumbo Tot Pencil is another good quality fat pencil for beginners. It is made in the U.S.A by the Musgrave Pencil Company who is another long-established pencil manufacturing company based in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and first started making pencils in 1916.
The pencils have a good-sized wide barrel that is 10mm in diameter with a smooth finish making them comfortable to hold. They are 7.5 inches long with a medium soft #2 HB 4mm thick graphite core and an extra-large latex-free eraser.
If you are looking for an alternative to Dixon Ticonderoga and would like to support one of the few companies that still make pencils in the U.S. Then give these pencils a try they are high quality and represent excellent value for money.
Dixon Ticonderoga Golf Pencil
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Conclusion
As a parent, you want your kids to have the best learning toys. I mean come on, learning is the cornerstone of our existence. Today’s parents are thinking outside of the box. You don’t want your child to stop at memorizing the alphabet or counting to ten. Like you, they are bigger thinkers, and are always looking for bigger challenges. They are out to explore all aspects of life…math…reading…writing…art…science…they just want to learn everything!