A Good Age For Introducing Kids To Fps? (Looking For Advice From Teachers/parents.)

[goodpens]

I'd like to introduce my niece (about to turn 9) to fountain pens.

 

She's very artistic and has good motor skills, though her handwriting is still large and she tends to favor broad pens/markers.

 

She's had no experience with fountain pens and I don't believe anyone in her household has, either.

 

I was planning on getting her an intro-level pen with some cartridges in her favorite colors.

 

My hope is that it will be something she thinks is fun--and that she may use it in her art and/or in writing letters and stories.

 

An OK age? Advice? Suggestions?

 

Thanks.

[LizB]

Go for it!

 

My son and daughter both had their first fountain pens at about 5 years old. My son started with a Parker Vector (cos it had a Batman logo on) and then I got a bunch of different child-friendly fountain pens (Lamy ABC, Pelikano Twist, plus Lamy Safari) which we use together with both cartridge and converters. I think at 9, cartridges are the best because she can change those independently with little mess. In my experience, my son is now 9, that is good age for fountain pen use. They are possibly learning good letter form and, at least in the UK, cursive.

 

I found a pack of Manuscript standard international cartridges in a mix of colours that were very popular with my two. My daughter is absolutely delighted that ink does not have to be one colour, and in fact has chosen a bottle of shimmering purple ink already (but she does have an enabler as a parent )

 

Get a reliable cheap cartridge pen and just go for it.

[goodpens]

Thank you, LizB. I appreciate this age-specific feedback!

 

Go for it!

 

My son and daughter both had their first fountain pens at about 5 years old. My son started with a Parker Vector (cos it had a Batman logo on) and then I got a bunch of different child-friendly fountain pens (Lamy ABC, Pelikano Twist, plus Lamy Safari) which we use together with both cartridge and converters. I think at 9, cartridges are the best because she can change those independently with little mess. In my experience, my son is now 9, that is good age for fountain pen use. They are possibly learning good letter form and, at least in the UK, cursive.

 

I found a pack of Manuscript standard international cartridges in a mix of colours that were very popular with my two. My daughter is absolutely delighted that ink does not have to be one colour, and in fact has chosen a bottle of shimmering purple ink already (but she does have an enabler as a parent )

 

Get a reliable cheap cartridge pen and just go for it.

[goodpens]

MODERATORS:

This thread that I started somehow got posted 2x. Could you merge both or delete this one?

Thanks.

[mmg122]

Hi Goodpens...I started 2 of my grandkids when they were about 8-9 years old with Lamy ABCs. They both love using a fountain pen and received permission from their teachers to use in school once they demonstrated that they could use it responsibly. I've taught them how to fill the pens from a bottle with a converter but it's much more convenient for them to use cartridges at school. Multicolor packs of cartridges are easily obtainable on Amazon US in international sizes and reasonably priced. My grandkids comment all the time about how using a fountain pen improves their cursive handwriting.

[frankb3]

When I was 10 and started 5th grade a friend showed me his Wearever fountain pen. That afternoon I walked to the store and bought a Sheaffer cartridge pen for $2.99 (in 1969). My mother thought I was nuts, but I loved it. For that age I'd stick to ink cartridges - save the bottles for later.

[oneill]

Go for it!

 

My son and daughter both had their first fountain pens at about 5 years old. My son started with a Parker Vector (cos it had a Batman logo on) and then I got a bunch of different child-friendly fountain pens (Lamy ABC, Pelikano Twist, plus Lamy Safari) which we use together with both cartridge and converters. I think at 9, cartridges are the best because she can change those independently with little mess. In my experience, my son is now 9, that is good age for fountain pen use. They are possibly learning good letter form and, at least in the UK, cursive.

 

I found a pack of Manuscript standard international cartridges in a mix of colours that were very popular with my two. My daughter is absolutely delighted that ink does not have to be one colour, and in fact has chosen a bottle of shimmering purple ink already (but she does have an enabler as a parent )consider Jinhao and Baoer both manufactured by the same company,They are about the cheapest but best for value pens that you can buy on E-bay, I have been singing their praises for years because I just love the way they write, sometimes you have to work on them a bit ,a good FLUSH out with a drop of ammonia and a drop of dishwashing liquid will suffice. you need any advice just email me I will be happy to help ay 87 you wont find anyone wiser Trust me, oneill

Get a reliable cheap cartridge pen and just go for it.

[Jordan_Robbins]

My 8 year old is learning cursive in school and loves writing with the fountain pen. My 5 year old likes copying her sister so she wants to use them as well.

 

I let them use a pair of old Lamy Safari's that I have. They are next to indestructible and the nibs are easily replaced and inexpensive if they managed to do something to them. So far no issues and they have been using them for the past year.

 

My kids aren't the neatest so I try to use a fairly quick drying ink so that they are not covered in smears. The parker and waterman inks are often safe bets although they also like some of the more colorful J. Herbin inks.

 

I second the Jinhao as another option, but the pens are often heavier and not always to my kids liking.

[Mahidevran]

I'd like to introduce my niece (about to turn 9) to fountain pens.

 

She's very artistic and has good motor skills, though her handwriting is still large and she tends to favor broad pens/markers.

 

She's had no experience with fountain pens and I don't believe anyone in her household has, either.

 

I was planning on getting her an intro-level pen with some cartridges in her favorite colors.

 

My hope is that it will be something she thinks is fun--and that she may use it in her art and/or in writing letters and stories.

 

An OK age? Advice? Suggestions?

 

Thanks.

 

Based on your description I think she is the right age/point to be introduced to fountain pen. I'm better a parent or a teacher but I was introduced to fountain pen at quite a young age, although back then I am only exposed to bottled ink and not cartridges.

 

I think as long as she understands how to hold it and refill the ink, it should suffice. I only used mine for couple of months back when I was introduced to FP at 7 years old but even after years of not picking up or using a FP , because I have some basics in FP usage , re-picking the habit of using FP is easier since it's just like revising things you already knew.

 

So yeah I think introducing FP to her at this age is appropriate. As for pen suggestions, you can maybe try Kaweco Sport Ice. It's semi-demonstrator with colourful caps so it's catchy and would be attractive to look at. It doesn't look too fancy (it may attract unwanted attention at school) and it's durable.

[goodpens]

So yeah I think introducing FP to her at this age is appropriate. As for pen suggestions, you can maybe try Kaweco Sport Ice. It's semi-demonstrator with colourful caps so it's catchy and would be attractive to look at. It doesn't look too fancy (it may attract unwanted attention at school) and it's durable.

 

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions, Mahidevran.

[oneill]

I'd like to introduce my niece (about to turn 9) to fountain pens.

 

She's very artistic and has good motor skills, though her handwriting is still large and she tends to favor broad pens/markers.

 

She's had no experience with fountain pens and I don't believe anyone in her household has, either.

 

I was planning on getting her an intro-level pen with some cartridges in her favorite colors.

 

My hope is that it will be something she thinks is fun--and that she may use it in her art and/or in writing letters and stories.

 

An OK age? Advice? Suggestions?

 

Thanks.

One cant start too young in my opinion,can I suggest two of my favorite pens which are very affordable

and are good pens to collect because they are made out of solid Brass and only cost a few dollars each,They are

Jinhao and Baoer same company Trust Me, Oneill

[Bo Bo Olson]

Back in the '50's, we started using a fountain pen in 4th grade.

I remember it, because that meant we wern't little kids any more....we was 'big' kids finally.

[MercianScribe]

I got a Manuscript Dodec italic and a Pilot Kakuno fine for my daughter when she was 7. She wanted to learn cursive and did, and wanted to copy some of my calligraphy, but couldn't handle even the fine italic on the Manuscript.

 

I recently bought a load of Preppies in different colours for her and my (just) five year old son, and they both absolutely love them for drawing and writing practice.

 

I've also chucked Pilot Parallels at them from three years back, just for fun, and they enjoyed those, and even got used to the italic quickly (obviously a completely different experience to the Manuscript italic). They like the Parallels and Preppies for the same reasons from what I can gather: easy to use, no stress about dropping them or anything.

 

I also introduced my niece and nephew to various fountain and flex dip pens last year (they were aged five and eleven), after a trip to the Pen Museum (Birmingham, UK, detailing the history of the pen trade, and with various activities like pressing and finishing your own dip nib). My nephew wasn't really interested, my five-year old niece took to it like a duck to water - a completely swashy, swirly, flourishy natural! So later I sent them both FPR Gurus, and sure enough, she still likes hers, but he's still more into Lego! I'm going to send her a battered vintage flex 14K for her seventh birthday this year.

 

I chanced upon a Peter Pan and a Welsharp of a similar tiny size which I was going to give to my kids, but their nibs are a little boring, one's a battered black and the other is a really nice mottled green so I didn't want to cause a fight, and they seem to be fine with full size Preppies anyway.

[MercianScribe]

TLDR: Preppies and Parallels - indestructible, inexpensive, loads of bright colours, easy to use, and relatively funky designs.

[hinky]

@OP Aside from the Lamy ABC (which uses proprietary cartridges) and the Pelikano Twist (which uses standard international cartridges), Inoxcrom has beginner pens with lots of funky designs that children might like. They also use standard international cartridges so it's easy to get refills. Online (German brand) also has school pens with fun designs and also takes standard international cartridges. I think cartridge/converter pens are the way to go for children because it's easy to swap refills.

 

You can also get a 5 pen set of Jinhao 991s on ebay for cheap, but they are rather plain although come in different colored transparent plastic.

 

Another suggestion is the Pilot Petit1 which is a portable and postable pocket pen, with a comfortable (diameter) grip section, that comes in a lot of colors. They only come in Fine nibs, but write well and don't dry out quickly. They use Pilot proprietary cartridges though.

 

I guess it will depend on your niece if she prefers thin or thick grip sections.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes 😊

[TSherbs]

My wife introduces her 8/9 year old students to Pilot Varsities. The kids love the color variety and these pens always write and have a forgiving large tipping on the nib. Their parents/relatives can make the next choice if they get hooked.

[Sailor Kenshin]

My wife introduces her 8/9 year old students to Pilot Varsities. The kids love the color variety and these pens always write and have a forgiving large tipping on the nib. Their parents/relatives can make the next choice if they get hooked.

This is it. And even us 'adults' still use them.

[Colors_and_beads]

My experience comparing kids learning to write in France (cursive in 1st grade, fountain pen in 2nd grade, use of Séyès towards the end of 1st grade) and kids learning to write in the US (script, letters twice as big in 2nd grade as French 1st grade cursive), I'd say that 9 is not too young, but that the grip probably needs improvement

I agree with the use of cartridges and would suggest a pen that helps with the triangular grip (Pelikan twist, Lamy Safari, Jinhao 599...)