Best Pencils & Supplies for Printable Worksheets (2026)
· 6 min read
You printed the worksheets for free — here's the short list of what to fill them in with so they actually get used. Five supplies do almost all the work for a table of K–2 kids: a mechanical pencil, a No. 2 pencil set, highlighters, pencil grips for little hands, and one good sharpener. Here they are at a glance, then the why behind each.
Best worksheet supplies at a glance
| Category | Our top pick | Best for | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical pencil | BIC Xtra-Smooth 0.7mm (24-ct) | No sharpening; tidy math grids | ~$8 |
| No. 2 pencil set | Ticonderoga #2 HB (30-ct) | Tracing, handwriting, clean erasing | ~$8 |
| Highlighters | Sharpie Smear Guard (12-ct) | Color-coding answers & notes | ~$12 |
| Pencil grips | Firesara Owl grips (3-finger) | Young learners fixing their grasp | ~$7 |
| Pencil sharpener | X-ACTO School Pro (electric) | Busy classrooms & jumbo pencils | ~$35 |
No supplies yet? Start with what you have. Every worksheet on Printable Polly prints with a plain pencil — grab a set of free first-grade worksheets or handwriting worksheets and the picks below just make them last longer.
Best pencils and sharpener
Worksheets live and die by the pencil. For quick daily practice, a 0.7mm mechanical pencil wins because it never needs sharpening and holds a fine point through a page of math boxes. For tracing and handwriting, a classic No. 2 wood pencil is still the right tool — soft, dark graphite that erases cleanly off printer paper — as long as you have a sharpener that can keep up. If you print a lot at home, our guides to the best home printers for worksheets and the best cardstock for printables round out the setup.
Top pencils and sharpener
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- Best mechanical pencil
BIC Xtra-Smooth Mechanical Pencils, 0.7mm (24-Count)
No sharpening, no broken points mid-worksheet — a 0.7mm lead stays fine enough for math grids and never needs a trip to the sharpener, so a stack of these keeps a table of kids working instead of lining up.
- Best No. 2 pencils
Ticonderoga Wood-Cased #2 HB Pencils, Pre-Sharpened (30-Count)
The pencil every supply list names for a reason: soft, dark graphite that erases clean off printer paper, pre-sharpened out of the box, and erasers that don't smear tracing and handwriting pages.
- Best sharpener
X-ACTO School Pro Classroom Electric Pencil Sharpener
A wood-pencil classroom goes through points fast; this heavy-duty electric one gives a sharp tip in seconds and its size dial handles both standard and jumbo primary pencils without over-grinding.
Best highlighters and grips
Two smaller buys punch above their price. Highlighters turn a worksheet into an active task — kids color-code sight words, circle the answer, or mark the cue column on Cornell notes — so pick a smear-resistant ink that won't drag graphite. Pencil grips are the fix for the most common early-writing problem: a fisted or thumb-wrapped grasp. A soft three-finger grip gently trains the right hold, which is why they belong in any first-grade handwriting kit.
Top highlighters and grips
As an Amazon Associate, Printable Polly earns from qualifying purchases. Prices are approximate and set by Amazon.
- Best highlighters
Sharpie Pocket Highlighters, Smear Guard, Assorted Colors (12-Count)
Smear Guard ink dries fast so it won't drag pencil or pen across a worksheet, and a mix of colors lets kids code answers, sight words, or Cornell-notes cues without bleeding through thin printer paper.
- Best grips for young learners
Firesara Pencil Grips for Kids (Owl, 3-Finger Set)
A soft silicone grip that puts a K–1 child's thumb and two fingers in the right spot, easing the pencil-grasp struggle that stalls early handwriting — and it slips onto both standard and mechanical pencils.
How to choose (without overbuying)
You don't need all five on day one. If your child is under seven and still forming letters, start with No. 2 pencils and a grip— the grip does more for handwriting than any premium pencil. Once they're writing comfortably and doing more math, add a box of mechanical pencils to skip the sharpener line. Highlighters come in when reading and note-taking start; a classroom sharpeneronly earns its price if you're running wood pencils for a whole group. A pencil box and a printed chore chart that makes "pack your supplies" a daily job will do more to keep pencils from vanishing than buying extras.
More classroom supply guides
Building a full desk or backpack? Our back-to-school printables and supply list covers crayons, folders, binders, and a grade-by-grade supply table to go with the pencils above. Everything on Printable Polly stays free to print — these supplies just make the practice stick.