Both of my kids had pincer grip issues so we’ve used special pencils from the time they started holding any writing instruments. These are fairly easy to find for young kids but harder in elementary.
Before I list them, a back story. I came across a 2nd grader once at a swim class who was writing her homework. Her pencil grip was the worst I had ever seen. It was almost like holding a Chinese calligraphy brush. I felt so bad watching her write, imagining what she’d need to do once she starts writing a lot more as she gets older.
Side note #2, I went to a talk with Bev Bos once where she railed against schools starting children so young on writing and how it totally ruins their pencil grip. I really took that talk to heart and tried not to push the kids to write much till they were ready. But of course it didn’t stop me from fretting about their pincer grip, so hence all this search for special pencils.
But, these triangular pencils can be used by everyone. Since you have to buy them anyway, why not just get a triangular-shapred one? It’s not detrimental unless the shape is too big for their hands to hold.
If you don’t care about pics or review, you can jump to the bottom of the page for a list of product links.
Triangular Crayons for Preschoolers
At this stage, crayons are good, markers are bad, at least according to Bev Bos. Don’t give in to the kids’ preference for markers! They love them because the colors come out with very little effort; whereas with crayons they have to use some strength to draw.
But needing to use some force means they strength those little hand muscles. You can start with giant versions and then graduate them to the thinner, normal kind.
Triangular Crayons are everywhere. I bought mine from Target, just the regular Crayon brand. Faber-Castell also sells some, but it looks expensive.
But if you like getting more natural items, there are beeswax choices. Here are two I found on Amazon.
I like the Lyra brand in general and have their line of pencil products. This one is called Lyra LYRAX Wax-Giants Large Triangular Beeswax Crayons
Stockmar also sells some giant beeswax crayons. I mention them because they’re in Waldorf colors.
My kids outgrew triangular crayons once they got to elementary school, and we stopped using crayons. Otherwise you can also check out Faber-Castell’s regular triangular crayons.
Giant Triangular Chalk for Preschoolers
Hey, if you’re going to triangularize everything, why not chalk?
Melissa & Doug has triangular ones but it’s pricey. If you don’t want such expensive ones, you could try Crayola’s rectangular ones or just get it a the dollar store.
Triangular Pencils
When the kids started writing some between kindergarten and second grade, and were holding their pencils wrong, I got them a bunch of giant pencils.
I got most of mine from Taiwan stationary stores, specifically Sheng Li General Merchandise 勝立百貨. Our pencils are like our socks, they mysteriously disappear over weeks.
Imagine my joy when I realized that they do sell jumbo triangular pencils in the States! I got a box of Ticonderoga My First Tri-Write Pencils.
I didn’t have as much success with standard size triangular pencils such as the ones from Ticonderoga. However! Last month I discovered Aosen’s 洞洞筆! I love them. It really forces the Astroboy to hold his pencil right. Otherwise, he tends to touch his index finger and thumb together when he writes.
Triangular Colored Pencils
Once I got giant pencils, I then bought giant colored pencils. The children found them easier to grip. Standard pencils just felt too tiny for small 5-7 year old hands that isn’t gripping well.
For jumbo colored pencils, I so loved the Lyra brand because of its more natural and un-lacquered look that I ordered a bunch of different kinds.
First up are these LYRA Super Ferby Giant Triangular Colored Pencils.
Then to add to our color selection, I got LYRA Waldorf Selection Giant Triangular Colored Pencil, as they’re a bit more pastel.
I finally switched Astroboy to thin colored pencils when he was 8+.
I hate shopping around once I find a brand I like. So, sticking with the Lyra brand, I got Lyra Groove Slim Child Grip Triangle Colored Pencils, 36 colored. It was ultra expensive at $25 but worth it. They also sell 48, 24, and 12 color versions.
It looks like Prang now sells these Prang Groove Triangular Colored Pencils at a MUCH cheaper price, $9 for 24! They probably come out of the same factory in China.
But, the Lyra ones has those responsible forestry labels on them while Prang doesn’t. I don’t know if that’s what causes the price difference, or there’s a difference in quality.
Other Supplies
You’ve got fat pencils, and now your regular pencil sharpener doesn’t work. For many years, I used a hand sharpeners, but I finally got tired of them strewed all over the house, so I splurged on a X-ACTO’s SharpX pencil sharpener. It was not $42 when I bought it. So you could try and the $30 version.
I don’t know if the sharpener is the best out there. There are honestly too many options. But it has done its job in the 4 years we’ve had it.
I also want to mention pencil grips. An occupational therapist parent I knew recommended these Write Dudes Training Grips. They’re no longer sold on Amazon and they didn’t work for my kids because they liked to take them off the pencils as they did not like having to force their fingers into a specific position.
But I point these out because the therapist poohed poohed some of the training grips out there and swore by these. So if you’re looking for training grips, you can look for something that is shaped similar.
Lastly, this week, I finally succumbed to these cute cute pencil pouches that Eclectic Mama and Fleur bought. We currently put our colored pencils into a giant Daiso pouch. But every time we want to use it, we have to dump all the pencils out.
These pencils pouches are super nice in that they can stand up and you can just pull them down when you want to use them and pull them back up to put away. I can’t wait to get them!
Products mentioned
(affiliate links)
Crayons
- Crayon Triangular Crayons
- Lyra LYRAX Wax-Giants Large Triangular Beeswax Crayons (recommend)
- Faber-Castille Triangular Crayons
- Stockmar Beeswax Stick Crayons, Waldorf Colors
- Faber-Castell’s regular triangular crayons (recommend)
Chalk
Pencils
- Jumbo pencils from Sheng Li General Merchandise 勝立百貨.
- Ticonderoga My First Tri-Write Pencils (recommend)
- Ticonderoga Tri-Write Standard Pencils
- Aosen’s Groove Pencils 洞洞筆 (recommend!)
Colored Pencils
- LYRA Super Ferby Giant Triangular Colored Pencils (recommend)
- LYRA Waldorf Selection Giant Triangular Colored Pencil (recommend)
- Lyra Groove Slim Child Grip Triangle Colored Pencils – 48 colored, 36 colored, 24 colored, 12 colored (recommend)
- Lyra Groove Slim Child Grip Triangle Colored Pencils, 36 colored
- Prang Groove Triangular Colored Pencils, 24 colored
Other Supplies