If you want to skip the headache of scratchy, breakage-prone pencils that slow your kid down during lessons, just get Ticonderoga — and if you have a young child still learning to grip a pencil, their My First version is worth every penny. Here's an honest look at both options so you can pick the right one for your homeschool shelf.
These are designed for small hands that are still figuring out how to hold a pencil properly, and they actually deliver on that promise. The jumbo barrel makes it noticeably easier for young kids to maintain a grip without cramping their fingers, and the soft 2HB core writes smoothly without requiring a lot of pressure — which matters when a child is already working hard just to form letters.
The eraser is better than most pencils in this category. It doesn't smear, and it doesn't tear the paper. For a kid practicing letter formation over and over, that's not a small thing.
At 36 pencils, you'll have enough to last a good stretch of your school year without constantly reordering. They do come pre-sharpened, though the tips can arrive with slight variation — keep a sharpener handy for the first round.
This is the workhorse pencil for homeschool families — reliable, consistent, and genuinely good quality for the price. The 72-count box is what you reach for once your child has graduated past the learning-to-hold-a-pencil stage and is doing real daily schoolwork like copy work, math, and written narrations.
Ticonderoga's standard pencils have always been a cut above drugstore-brand pencils when it comes to lead consistency. The core doesn't crumble or snap with normal use the way cheaper pencils do, and the eraser — while not quite as impressive as on the My First version — still does its job without leaving a pink smear across the page.
With 72 pencils in a box, you're covered for most of the school year even with multiple kids. The value per pencil here is noticeably better than the smaller packs.
Child under 7 or still developing grip? Go with the Ticonderoga My First 36-count. The jumbo barrel makes a real, visible difference in how comfortably young kids hold and control the pencil. It's not a gimmick — the ergonomics genuinely help.
Child in Grade 2 and up doing daily schoolwork? The Ticonderoga 72-count standard is your everyday pencil. You get more pencils for the money, they perform consistently, and they'll last through a full school year of real use.
Either way, you're buying Ticonderoga — which means you're not throwing money away on pencils that break on the first stroke or smear everything your kid tries to erase. Both are solid choices; it just comes down to your child's age and hand size.
My First Pencils on Amazon → Standard 72-Count on Amazon →For kids in pre-K through first grade who are still developing their pencil grip, a jumbo or triangular barrel pencil is a genuine help — not just a marketing claim. The thicker barrel gives little hands something to actually hold without straining. The Ticonderoga My First pencil fits this need well: it has the jumbo barrel, a smooth soft lead that doesn't require force, and a functional eraser. Pair it with a basic pencil grip aid if your child is struggling, and you'll be in good shape.
For one child doing daily schoolwork, a 36-count box typically lasts most of the school year if you're sharpening regularly and not losing them. For two or more kids, or if you go through pencils quickly, a 72-count box is the smarter buy — both for cost and for not running out mid-semester. Many homeschool families buy one 72-count box per school year per child in grades 2 and up and find that's plenty.
Yes — and this is coming from someone who has tried to save money by buying bulk bargain pencils more than once. The difference is in the lead. Cheap pencils have inconsistent cores that crumble or snap mid-stroke, which means constant resharpening and frustrated kids. Ticonderoga pencils have a noticeably more consistent lead, and the erasers actually work. When you factor in how often you replace broken pencils or deal with smeared eraser marks on good paper, the price difference stops feeling significant. They're not luxury pencils — they're just solidly made ones.