Choosing a first pen is often trivialized, as a child will lose it, destroy it, etc. There's some truth to this, of course, but it all depends on the child and how attached they are to the pen. The more they like it, the greater the chance they'll take care of it.
We have prepared 5 golden rules to follow when choosing your first pen:
1. Let your child choose
It sounds cliché, but even very young children know what they want and what they like. It's not worth forcing what we parents like onto them, as that definitely risks quickly losing them.
2. The pen should fit the child, never the other way around.
How to achieve this? It's best to go shopping at a store that allows you to try different pens, so your child can choose the one that writes best. From our experience, we know that point 1 is often overlooked here, as what you like best doesn't necessarily feel best in your hand. Here, too, it's worth trusting your child.
3. Notice the pen holder.
The first pen should have a contoured grip so that the child learns to hold writing instruments correctly from the start. This, in turn, will influence their later handwriting and is therefore more important than we realize.
4. Don't overprice gadgets.
Pens with a flashlight and a favorite cartoon character attached to the cap are appearing on the market. Unfortunately, all of these pens are Chinese products aimed at high sales, not the well-being of our children. These pens often lack a well-thought-out weight, balance, and pressure point. Discard these first.
5. Choose those that have spare parts.
Accidents happen to everyone; dropping a pen, especially in the first few months, can happen several times a week. While a closed pen should survive any accident, an open pen will have to be thrown away after a fall on its nib. Unless you're careful to buy a pen with replacement parts, such as a replaceable nib. There are plenty of them on the market.
So, as you can see, choosing a good pen shouldn't be difficult, and if you stick to at least a few of the rules above, there's a good chance that your child will love writing with a pen.
We intentionally don't recommend any particular pen; every child is different, and there's no single best choice. We encourage you to visit local stationery stores, and if you're in the Katowice area, we invite you to visit us at Plebiscytowa 17. It's best if you give your child the opportunity to try the pen out—there's no better way to find out which pen they'll write with best.
Our recommendations for your first pen
The Faber-Castell Scribolino is the perfect starter fountain pen. Also available in a left-handed version.
Lamy ABC - School pen with a wooden body, also available with a left-handed nib.
Preppy – reliable pens from the Japanese brand Platinum. Available in three nib sizes and various colors.