First Pen For A Child

[RaulT]

My 6 years old girl is going to start the school and she will probably need a pen.

What is your advice for giving her a first pen.

I think to go for an entry level, very cheap one but I am also thinking that this is her first pen and it could be nice to keep it as a souvenir as well.

 

Edited August 31, 2014 by RaulT

[elaichi]

My kid is too young for pens, but I had a similar idea a few weeks ago. Here's a list of candidates that I found online:

 

- Pelikan Twist

http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US_INTL.Store.displayStore.151309./twist-fountain-pen

 

- Pilot Kakuno

http://www.penaddict.com/blog/2013/12/19/pilot-kakuno-fountain-pen-review

 

- Lamy ABC

http://www.lamyusa.com/lamy_fountain_L110_abc.php

 

- Schneider Base Kid

http://www.schneiderpen.de/en/products/catalog/subpage/show/fountain-pens-2_base-kid-39.html

[kronion]

- Lamy ABC

http://www.lamyusa.com/lamy_fountain_L110_abc.php

I learned how to write with this one (after pencil). The pen was very much recommended by the elementary school teachers and nearly everyone in my class (W. Germany 1988) had one. The next step was usually a Lamy Safari, whose triangular section also encourages a good finger position, too.

[elenita]

If your six-year old daughter is anything like my six year-old nephew, the smiley face on the Kakuno's nib will be an extra incentive to use her new pen often.

 

 

Good luck to her, no matter what you choose!

 

(Pic borrowed from Jetpens. No affiliation, though.)

Edited August 31, 2014 by elenita

[AZBennett]

I gave my 11 year old daughter a Jinhao X450 due to the relative price (if she loses or damages it I won't be sad over the price). We also gave her a set of Preppy FPs with all different ink colors. I quickly realized the Jinhao was too heavy/large for her hands and picked up a NOS Wearever lever fill and a Pilot Metropolitan for her. She uses those frequently for drawing and writing along with the Preppys. But you might need something that fits her hand for sure and isn't too heavy fo her to write with for extended periods of time. Hope you find success.

[FayeV]

I gave my daughter a Pelikano earlier this year. She used it for a while. Then a couple months later she chose a Lamy Safari (neon coral) and inks it with J. Herbin Rose Cyclamen. She prefers the Lamy because she got to choose the color. and I'm sure she enjoys writing with it also because she got to choose her own ink color too.

 

I bet your little girl will be more delighted with fountain pens if she is involved in the selection of pen and ink.

[wallylynn]

Small pen for small hands? Pilot Petite?

[AZBennett]

With children small pen for small hands isn't always the answer since they don't have the dexterity or fine motor control to adequately use a small pen. However, a larger yet light pen is usually much preferred as they can get a good grip and still be able to write with it. This was what I found with my daughter when she got her Pilot Metrolpolitan. She wrote much easier and with more fluidity of motion. Also her handwriting improved in a VERY short amount of time. Again, best of luck.

[Michigan]

My five-year old has a Pelikan Twist on its way to her. I was tired of gasping when she used my pens for our geography lessons.

 

I passed on a red Pelikan M320 because it was tiny and I did not want to invest in my interest but not necessarily hers.

[cancoi]

I'm thinking that I need to get my sons pens. I have a Kaweco Skyline Classic coming for me, which will allow them to try a Safari, Pelikan Future (c.2000), and the Kaweco. (One of my favorite childhood memories was buying a Shaeffer pen at my dad's drugstore & inking it up for the first time. )

[KBeezie]

Small pen for small hands? Pilot Petite?

I was thinking the petit1 as well, depending on the age of course, posted it's not too small, but it's very light weight. It also seems pretty easy to post and handles a few falls well. It's also not too skinny. It's also only 3$ and the cartridges come in a nifty 3 pack holder that can easily go into a pencil box.

[amk]

The Germans are really good at this - Lamy ABC and Rotring Primus. Good pens with grips that are made to help teach the right position for writing, or the Schneider Base already mentioned, or perhaps the Lamy Nexx though that's a bit dearer and its target market is a bit older. I think the Lamy, though, affords an easy upgrade once your little girl is old enough to want a Safari (or even an Accent or Studio)!

 

Try to find some nice different ink colours. I know when I was at school my grail pen was a 12-colour ballpoint (sorry for the swear word there!) so I could write each line in a different colour! Giving her the choice every week between, say, a Neon Coral or a vibrant turquoise, could make a big difference to her interest in using the pen. (And the Lamy takes a converter, too.)

 

Or... just on the idea of bigger, chunkier pens for hands that haven't quite learned how to grip - this might be your excuse to get acquainted with the Japanese Jumbo pens! You can get them quite inexpensively via eBay.

Edited September 2, 2014 by amk

[Sailor Kenshin]

Small pen for small hands? Pilot Petite?

Yes...or a Pilot Varsity, or a Platinum Preppy.

 

She's six. These pens are reliable, inexpensive, cute, thick enough, and come in lots of colors.

[DRWWE]

I gave my 10 year old daughter a Lamy Nexx. She's doing well with it. Pink cap. Pink ink (Noodler's Cactus Fruit Eel). The steel nib is reliable and sturdy and, if she drops the pen, a replacement nib will be cheap and easy to replace. I thought about the Lamy ABC but thought she would outgrow it too quickly but for a 6 year old it might be ideal.

[william2001]

My first pen I got when I was young was Pilot Varsity.

Plastic body that never breaks and is really cheap.

-William S. Park

[arcadeflow]

I am also for the Pilot Kakuno, there is a white version with caps in pastel colors, very feminine. It probably is a lot more reliable than a Petit1 and regular Pilot cartridges are much more widely available than Petit1 cartridges. Petit1 cartridges can have colors that are too light, which is bad for students. I believe it is crucial that you give her cartridges and show her how to change them, and also how to flush (you should tell her to ask you to flush pen with her so she never damages it, she is still very young).

 

Also don't forget to buy better paper and notebooks for her, otherwise writing with the fountain pen can be worse than using a rollerball.

[RaulT]

I am also for the Pilot Kakuno, there is a white version with caps in pastel colors, very feminine. It probably is a lot more reliable than a Petit1 and regular Pilot cartridges are much more widely available than Petit1 cartridges. Petit1 cartridges can have colors that are too light, which is bad for students. I believe it is crucial that you give her cartridges and show her how to change them, and also how to flush (you should tell her to ask you to flush pen with her so she never damages it, she is still very young).

 

Also don't forget to buy better paper and notebooks for her, otherwise writing with the fountain pen can be worse than using a rollerball.

I like the Pilot Kakuno but as you all agreed I have to involve her in the selection process. The important thing is that I know the options and I like most of the pens you all sugested.

I am sure she will chose something just jor the design and colors.

[Yehenara]

A Lamy ABC would be good I think.