Good penmanship begins with the right tools

MANILA, Philippines - Selecting pencils that a beginner can easily grip and work with is more important than most parents think, according to Cristina Caraig, marketing manger of Amalgamated Specialties Corporation (Amspec), exclusive makers of T-Pencil and Crayola in the Philippines.

For many beginners, the T-Pencil with large-sized hexagonal barrels are ideal. Others find the Jumbo model with round barrel in black — the standard pencil for kinder students in the ’50s up to the ’60s — easier to work with. Still other pupils are more comfortable with the T-Pencil with triangular barrel. The same model works well for left-handed youngsters.

Each child has his own preference, point out studies by Amspec, which has been making pencils for 50 years. It used to manufacture other pencil brands until it decided to develop its own label.  “The key is to help a child experiment — beginning perhaps with the hexagonal models with larger barrels,” says Caraig.

She notes that the best time to prepare a child to write is as young as 18 months or old enough to grip a crayon. The best precursor to a good pencil is a good crayon — one that is easy for little hands to grasp and at the same time will not easily snap. More important, a crayon should be non-toxic to avoid harming youngsters who tend to put things in their mouth.

Crayola’s My First Crayons were designed especially for toddlers and meet all of the above requirements. They are also deliberately not labeled so that kids don’t have to struggle peeling them off after long hours of scribbling. Like all Crayola products, they meet the European Union’s consumer safety, health and environmental requirements. They are also registered with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration and have been deemed safe by the USA Arts and Crafts Materials Institute.

“Drawing and writing are complex tasks for growing children to master,” says Caraig. Both activities require grasping an implement, holding the paper so it stays in place, and applying just the required pressure. A crayon that glides easily on paper facilitates mastery of this skill. In lieu of a crayon, markers made intentionally for pudgy hands like Crayola’s stubby Pip-Squeaks help a child hone the skill. With the right coaching, scribbling metamorphoses to writing with a pencil.

Crayons and pencils that are easy for a toddler to use also build his confidence. “A two-or-three-year-old, says Caraig, “automatically attributes the efficiency of his writing implements to his own abilities — and vice versa. When a crayon does not register well on paper or when a pencil’s lead snaps easily, he automatically thinks it is because he has done a bad job.”