The new “griffix” series of learn-to-write products has been developed in accordance with the latest findings in the field of graphomotor skills, in collaboration with educational experts and the Fraunhofer Institute. The four writing instrument models of the griffix system help children to master the successive steps in the process of learning to write. The first wide sweeps are practised with the wax marker, the thick and thin leads of which facilitate the transition from drawing to writing. For the next step towards proper writing there is the twist-action propelling pencil; this is followed by an ink pen and finally a fountain pen. Thus children are taken forward step by step in the direction of being able to write in straight lines, following the ruling of the exercise book.

The crucial element of the system is the grip area with its three soft depressions, whose size, position and structure help the child to learn the ergonomically correct positioning of the fingers, the so-called pincer grip. Thus there clearly need to be both right-handed and left-handed versions of the pencil, ink pen and fountain pen; and so indeed there are. In addition, a symbol on the grip indicates whether the writing instrument is correctly positioned in the hand.

In their shapes and colours, the griffix family of products are closely attuned to the preferences of young children just learning to write. The fountain pen, for instance, is the first to be equipped with ink cartridges that have colourful patterns printed on them, and are visible through the big window in the barrel of the pen. And buttons bearing colourful motifs, which children can collect and swap, can be stuck on the end of the barrel.

Because the most important thing of all, of course, is that learning to write should be fun.