Getting A First Fountain Pen For A Child?

[DanielCoffey]

I am considering getting my seven year old nephew something like a Pelikano fountain pen and a choice of short cartridges for Christmas but I was wondering what age Primary schools in Europe tend to start encouraging kids to switch from pencil to pen?

 

He is seven at the moment but his mum admits he does have a problem sitting and focusing on a task for long. He currently writes in pencil but tends to use it with a heavy hand. He plays with the usual felt tip and ballpoints but all his school work is still done in pencil.

 

I was thinking about the Pelikano because it is supposed to be robust, is colourful and easy to keep clean. It was designed with kids in mind but mum has asked what age it is intended for.

 

Any thoughts?

[LizB]

This topic has been touched on a few times here, so you may be able to find further advice through searching. I think in the UK it is down to individual schools as to when they encourage moving away from pencils. I introduced my children to fountain pens from about the age of four, but my son couldn't use his at school until he earned his 'Pen Licence' in year 5.

 

We haven't tried a Pelikano, but have Pelikan Twist and Pelikan Happy, both are great. Also we liked the Lamy ABC and the Faber-Castell Scribolino. I shall have to try a Pelikano now :-). I am sure they are fine for 7 year olds.

 

Personally, I think a fountain pen is a great step up from a pencil for any child learning to write, with the right amount of supervision deemed necessary. I help my six year old refill her pens, but she can use them pretty much unsupervised now (and she loves the choice of ink).

[DanielCoffey]

Thanks for the thoughts and the other recommendations.

 

I was chatting to his mum today and surprisingly she wasn't bothered about any risk of ink getting where it shouldn't. Any mum with (in her case) a couple of kids gets used to felt tips, crayons and mis-appropriated ballpoints all over the place.

 

Her main concerns were the ability of the pen to survive a heavy hand but the historic blurb on the Pelicano and Pelikano Junior do mention it was designed for first time pen users who tend to use it like a chisel!

 

I am still tempted to leave it till his next birthday when he may be able to concentrate a bit longer.

[dan in montreal]

A few thoughts on this subject.

In Canada, fountain pens are not used in school, period. There may be exceptions, but as a general rule,they are never on the back to school lists.

It's up to the parent. My daughter's 9 and I gave her her first fountain pen when she was 7. It was a German made no-name pen I had bought in a supermarket in France. She still uses it today, mostly because it has stars on the barrel, not because it writes super well. It was not my greatest decision because the pen does not have a lip preventing the child's fingers from sliding down and touching the nib. Now, although she does use her fountain pens, she still hesitates somewhat (am I going to get ink on my fingers?). And at least half the time, she reaches for a ballpoint or a felt-tip pen.

 

The other pens LizB mentioned are good - I've gotten a few for my daughter as well, in the hope of correcting my initial mistake. She has a Pelikano, a Rotring Primus and a F-C Scribolino (although I'm sure it was called something else when I bought it) and her mom has a Lamy ABC.

I would really recommend the Lamy ABC or the Primus (although I'm not sure it's made anymore). After that, the F-C and finally the Pelikan. They all have very stiff nibs and can handle a lot of pressure.

Good luck!

[DanielCoffey]

Cheers - I'll have a word with his mum.

 

Sadly I am not nearby so I can't wait till they are over here and casually offer him his own pen while chatting about it. It will have to be an official gift which might make him hesitate more. Mum doesn't use fountain pens either so he may pick up on her hesitation. At least all these beginners pens are extremely affordable so if he never uses it, it isn't a big loss.

[sidthecat]

Get something really easy to write with and use, to reduce frustration. Something cheap, so it’s not a big deal if it gets broken.

And bright colors are always good.

[DanielCoffey]

I have decided to get him the Pelikano Junior in the bright red since he is in a "red" phase with everything he wants to wear at the moment. I'll speak to mum about alternative inks if it turns out he does like it and works his way through the box of 4001 Royal Blue I will put with it.

 

When I spoke to Diamine earlier about easy wash colours, they advised to avoid anything with pink or purple as those were particularly tricky to get out of clothing. The Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue is in the family of inks that if you show them a sniff of whites washing powder, they vanish.

[LizB]

Great choices. I hope he enjoys using them.

[Lamyliz]

How about the jinhao shark pen with bullet proof ink (to minimise stains)?

[surprise123]

How about the jinhao shark pen with bullet proof ink (to minimise stains)?

I would like to mention that bulletproof inks are marketed to be permanent, not washable. To minimize stains, go with the erasable Waterman Blue-Black. I use this ink for my hard rubber and celluloid pens, because it is the most gentle ink you can use. And, Irish Spring strips it off clothes like magic.

[Holon]

One more tip: Pelikan and Lamy have special nibs for beginners, they are labeled with an A for Anfänger (beginner in german). They are sturdier then the "normal" nibs.

 

In Germany the children usually begin writing with fountain pens in 2nd grade.

[DanielCoffey]

Thanks Holon - his mum did ask the usual age that the schools introduce pens.

 

As for ink permanence and staining, I was not thinking of staining on pens - it was more the ease of cleaning ink off clothes, carpets, little sisters...

Edited November 4, 2018 by DanielCoffey

[Honeybadgers]

I'd go with something very much along the lines of the lamy ABC or pelikano/twist.

 

And then something like the pilot kakuno or TWSBI GO for a second pen when they get a little older.

 

And then when they're in fifth grade, OBVIOUSLY a mont blanc 149

 

Definitely a washable ink. Maybe for convenience go with cartridges, in which case I'd suggest the pelikan since it can take a standard international waterman washable cartridge

Edited November 4, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[Honeybadgers]

One interesting thing I found - I gave my postman a christmas gift that included a pilot metro, bottle of ink, and a few other things I knew he liked, and he told me that his autistic daughter has latched onto that pen like crazy, she adores using it and drawing with it.

 

 

And our own foster kid is autistic as well, and she latched onto a fountain pen too. I brought it up to the teacher at the school (specialty school for high functioning autism) Seems like they're very satisfying in the tactile feedback to kids with autism, as it's really common for the kids to really like them.

[PAKMAN]

A Pelikano or Lamy 123 would be my choice.

[JakobS]

I got my niece a purple Pelikan Junior when she was 7 or 8 I believe. I also got her a converter to fill from a 30ml bottle of J.Herbin Bleu Azur, as she wanted an ink the color of the sky to write in her diary. She really liked it, in fact so much that she ended up spilling most of the bottle of Blue Azur on the comforter of her bed. Luckily, it came out in the wash without any sign it was ever there, so getting an ink that is good at being removed from clothes/linens etc. would be my recommendation. The Pelikano Junior has a tank of a nib, the plastic can be a bit fragile if dropped a lot though....

Edited November 5, 2018 by JakobS

[DanielCoffey]

It is good to hear that inks can be cleaned. Mum is a non-FP user so doesn't have a familiarity with bottled ink. The lad has a 4-yo sister so that is why they can get by on cartridges for a while.

 

If it turns out he (or his sister) really likes the pen then I am sorted for birthday presents for years! We are in the UK so Diamine shorts will be on the present list if I hear the pen is being used.

[sansenri]

well, the Pelikan twist is the pen I would want if I were still 7...

 

 

 

[JollyCynic]

well, the Pelikan twist is the pen I would want if I were still 7... ...

 

This is what I did get for my 7 year old (now 8), and he loves it. It's a bit finicky with converters, so he goes through my stash of Diamine cartridges looking for fun colours. (My cheap Chinese cartridges won't even get pierced by the Twist.)

 

He was very heavy-handed to begin with, and it made no difference to the nib. Just half a year later, and I trust him with my more expensive pens. (That's keeping in mind that I'm a cheapskate and don't have anything that remotely qualifies as "expensive" and they're all steel nails.)

 

His school has a cursive-first policy, right from reception (kindergarten), so he's only now being allowed to use non-cursive scripts in Year 4. He's taken to the fountain pens like a fish to water. He's still not allowed to use fountain pens in school, as cartridges have a tendency to get used as make-shift ink grenades in school. When he does start taking any to school, it'll be with the cheapest WH Smith or Sainsbury store brand washable blue cartridges I can get my hands on until I feel confident they won't be squeezed under chair legs. (WH Smith always has it, Sainsbury might only have it in back to school sales.)

[sansenri]

Nothing like a good pen to get you started!

I started on a Pelikan 120 when I was 6, I still think it's a great pen (and have more than one...)