Best stationery for left-handed kids to make life a little bit easier

If your child is anything like our five-year-old tester, they will be tickled pink by the mechanical aspect of this graphite pencil: the “magic lead” feels rather grown-up and exciting.

But, far from being a toy or fad, this is a really great staple for both right and left-handed kids – the pencils are designed in two versions to suit both. You can get thin lead at 1.4mm, which won’t require any sharpening or a chunkier 3.15mm which comes complete with a special sharpener.

Perfect for fledgling writers, this ergonomic design is approved by the National Handwriting Association and it’s easy to see why – we found it comfortable and intuitive to use.

This is a great introduction to the world of left-handed writing and a brilliant handbook for parents and children alike. The focus in this book is to set the foundations for left-handers to write easily in a right-handed society. It takes readers through fundamentals like paper and hand positioning as well as grip before going on to the formation of letters and words.

There are some 28 worksheets for children to tackle, which might sound a bit heavy but they are actually pretty fun – we had no idea it was “work” as it involved stuff like neatly tracing the line between a buzzy bee and its corresponding flower. Adults do need to accompany the child using the book – this way they can troubleshoot any potential habits which might hamper future writing, such a poor hand position.

It’s full of so many hints and tips for parents of left-handers – we had no idea that asking left-handed children to use a finger space between words was not ideal because placing a finger down means the left-hander encounters a physical obstacle to work around in order to continue writing. Instead, ask them to imagine an invisible “O”. There are other books in the range for left-handed children further on in their writing journeys.

Every left-handed child should have a geometry set that’s easy to use. Geometry is tricky enough without having to do it the “wrong” way around for you. This is a very simple set of tools including a 30cm ruler where measurements run from right to left and a protractor that is read anti-clockwise.

Best for children aged four and older, these left-handed scissors have soft grips that are ideal for little hands. The scissors claim to be “indestructible” and we can report that this was put to the test after they were trodden on by a very clumsy parent in walking boots (don’t ask). They remained completely unscathed.

The blades are round, which is best as far as safety is concerned. They sliced through paper and even card easily, and made our little one feel happy and confident in their crafting.

Fountain pens can be a nightmare for lefties – remember they are pushing the nib not pulling it – and they run the constant risk of smudging every single letter with their hand or sleeve. The scribolino is a bit of an antidote to all that. It works exactly like a right-handed pen, with a sharp, pointed nib and cartridge refills, but it is cleverly designed with a “tripod” grip that’s specially designed for left-handed use.

Although there were a couple of smudges to start with, we found this so much easier to work with than any other pen, including ballpoints.

The colours in this wallet are as vivid as any of the Stabilo range but have ergonomic grooves which make them easy for young left-handers to grip. Each pencil has a triangular circumference punctuated by oval grooves on each side, all the way up, meaning that no matter how much you sharpen, the grip won’t run out. We found these super-easy to grip with and had greater control when colouring and writing with them, than with standard pencils.

The brilliant bonus to this set is that it comes complete with a pencil sharpener – left-handed, of course.

Oh yes, it’s rare but it does exist – a left handed pencil sharpener. This one has two spaces to cater for different pencil sizes (8mm and 11mm respectively) as well as a container for sharpenings and a lid to store any pesky wood or lead dust. It works beautifully and, after being frustrated by trying to operate a right-handed version, we found it feels really easy to use too.