Collection: Kids Writing Instruments

Kids Writing Instruments

This is the drawing and writing range for children, running from a single pencil under two dollars up to the largest paint stick set in the high forties. Most of it sits around the ten to fifteen dollar mark, and almost everything is chosen to survive being used properly rather than kept in a drawer.

The paint sticks are the standout for younger children, and they are the reason a lot of parents end up on this page. You uncap, twist and draw, with no brushes, no water and no cleanup. They dry in about ninety seconds, the colour does not fade or crack once it has set, and the formula is washable, so it comes off hands and non-porous surfaces with soap and water. The sets start around twenty dollars for 24 colours and climb with the size. All of them work on paper, card, canvas, wood, glass and ceramic.

The gel stick crayons are the same idea in a different texture. They are lightfast, odourless and non-toxic, they blend with or without water, and they look their best on dark paper. Kingart has been making art materials for three generations, and the sets come in a storage case in the twenty to forty-five dollar range.

For older children the mechanical pencils are the practical pick. The MARK'STYLE pencils are made in Japan with 0.5mm leads, a wooden exterior printed with the days of the week in French, and an eraser built into the end, and they sit just above ten dollars. The Sanrio sets pack a six-colour figure pen, two pencils, a 15cm ruler, two pencil caps, a pencil holder and an eraser into a plastic case that doubles as storage, which makes them a common back-to-school buy.

Caran d'Ache makes the pencils at the top of the range, with water-soluble and permanent sets in metal boxes between twenty-five and thirty-five dollars. These are proper art supplies rather than children's versions of them, and they suit a teenager who has outgrown the cheaper sets. OOLY covers the middle with paint markers, scented pen sets and double-ended calligraphy markers, suitable from age six.

The rest of the collection, including the colouring books, covers felt tips, glitter pens and the smaller things that get lost and replaced. Nothing here costs much, which is deliberate, because the things children actually use are the ones worth buying well and buying again. If there is a particular pen, pencil or set you are looking for that you are not able to find on the website, reach out to us and we will be glad to help.