What age did you teach your child to write?

NBirdy

go cat, I'm just curious, is he wanting to learn or is this something you feel you 'should' be doing with him?

My 3.5 year old can write her name, though the letters are all over the page, the two 's's are always backwards and she usually starts with the letters she likes writing the most, then goes back to fill in the harder ones lol. She sometimes asks me to write a few words for her so she can copy them (e.g. when she does a picture for someone and wants to put their name and 'love from xxxxx'). She also likes to try and make words using the magnetic letters we have on the fridge - these only make sense about half of the time mind you! She can 'read' the alphabet phonetically and reads simple words (can't do the 'blending' thing).

We've had the Jolly Phonics books (I checked with her likely first school) for about 6 months, and I point to the words as I read stories to her, but she's just really interested in letters and their sounds. I could read well (reading age of 9 when I started school) and write well when I started school and loved school as it was so easy and I was praised a lot! So my theory is that if she's interested, and asking me to help her learn, I'm really not going to discourage her! (Sorry PinkLipGloss!)

Numbers are a whole different matter, she can read 1, 2, 3 and 8 (!?) but that's it, and has no interest in their written form at all. That's fine with me, we only do words because she enjoys doing it - so OP I would say unless your son is wanting/asking to write, I wouldn't specifically try to teach him.

Oldernotwiser

Schools don't like children to be able to write before they go to school because it's easier for the teacher to have the children at the same level; it isn't necessarily for the child's benefit.

PinkLipgloss

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Schools don't like children to be able to write before they go to school because it's easier for the teacher to have the children at the same level; it isn't necessarily for the child's benefit.

As a previous pre-school teacher, and current infant teacher I completely disagree with the above statement for a number of reasons;

1. There is no such thing as any class of children being at the "same level" at least not in my experience. Effective teachers CONSTANTLY differentiate lessons to suit varying levels of ability in their class. This is an important aspect of our role - tailoring lessons to suitably challenge each individual child. Some children will be proficient in holding a pencil correctly whilst others with grip it like a crayon. Some will apply too little or too much pressure. Some will draw various types of lines with ease, some with a little help, others will struggle - etc.....

2. As I previously mentioned schools tend to have a "standard' way of teaching how to write particular letters. This is devised to easily link in with "joined up writing" which they will learn later. It is EXTREMELY difficult to teach a child to write a letter a different way from what they have been taught at home. Thus, children who learn how to write the letter "correctly" first time round will be at an advantage.

3. It's important that children meet other developmental 'landmarks' before learning to write. It is detrimental to a childs development to have them writing before they have met these FMS landmarks.

milliebear00001

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Schools don't like children to be able to write before they go to school because it's easier for the teacher to have the children at the same level; it isn't necessarily for the child's benefit.

That's rubbish.

I've never been in a class (especially an EYFS class) where all the children were working at the same level. The differences at age 4-5 are enormous. Believe me, if you can get your child happily mark-making, or writing their name before Reception year, their teacher will be thankful. The key though, as stated, is never to make writing a chore for a very young child.

Schools do have a set format for handwriting, and with good reason. The 'loops and tails', taught in school, that make a young child's writing hard to read, are the precursers to joined handwriting. At 3, 4, 5 though, any writing is fantastic - including the child's own attempts that may seem meaningless to you! If they are keen to write, get them to have a go at forming the letters in the 'correct' way - you probably already do this yourself, but if you're not sure, Google it! Don't be surprised if they struggle and give up though. Writing involves lots of different combined physical and mental skills that many children won't master until 5-6 and beyond.

ailuro2

I didn't teach my daughter to write, but she picked it up anyway...

what I did do was encourage her to draw, to do things that improved her fine motor skills (things like Hama beads are great once they are old enough to be trusted not to eat them)

School will teach them the way they want them to write - no point having to unteach him what stroke to start with when writing letters etc.;)

Letter recognition is another thing entirely though - DD knew all her alphabet using letterland (which is what school uses) which makes it much easier on the child to know before going to school.:)

eta get him into counting things too - we did this with our DD, always asking how many and how much, and instilling 'there's a reason you need to be able to count' because it helpos them later on when they question why they need to be able to do long division when everyone has a calculator on their phone, lol!

jcr16

My dd could write here name at around 3.5 yrs. she was at nursery from 3 ( just mornings) and he had a real love of anything with pens, pencils. I never sat down with here a just did writing. we would draw together from a very early age. and she would just copy me if i wrote something. my son however has never been interested in writing( he struggles to know if he is left or right handed and can't hold a pen with any real pressure to write) he started reception class at age of 4( his birthdya july so very young) and it only been the last 6 months he has learn't to write his name. and he is now wanting to draw pic's of dinosaurs etc and put his name to it. Only yesterday he complete surpised me, he drew a pic for his nan who's been away. it was a few dinosaurs, then wrote at top Mist you, love ryan.!!!!! wow i never knew he would could that.
And my youngest is 2 and has been drawing since he could hold a pen and will now copy ( when in right mood) his name if you write it.

i guess what i'm saying is just spend time together, draw, you write names, your daugther may copy you, but naturally it will come to her when she is ready. once she recognises how her names looks written down then it will be easier so she will know the letters.

Becles

Has he shown interest in learning to write yet? I wouldn't push him if he hasn't, but if he has shown interest, there is no harm in starting.

My daughter was 3 in May and has started to show interest. We've been working on pencil control and she can hold a pencil correctly and control it on the page.

I've just bought this book:
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/roger+priddy/wipe+clean+early+learning+activity+book/5754694/

At the minute we are just doing the activities such as following dots to draw a dog and stuff to get her used to using the pen. Then it has pages of letter shapes to go over. It also has little exercises I liked, such as a box with lots of letters m and w in and it tells you to cross out anything that isn't an m. It gets them realising that letters must be the correct way up etc.

And best of all, it comes with a dry marker and all the pages are wipe clean, so you can use it over and over again :money:

I liked that book best as it also has a time section, and my daughter has been obsessed with clocks from an early age!

Threebabes

When my youngest was about 3 1/2 we bought her some books for her age group from whsmiths and she learnt to draw a line between the squiggly line and did simple pencil exercises, when she had mastered that, we went on to show her how to form her letters. We did it a few times a week for about 20 mins she enjoyed it.

choccymoose

Letterland is now seen as quite old fashioned, children were remembering the names of the letter ie wicked water witch , most schools and childcare providers have adopted the letters and sounds approach, supported by a synthetic phonics program.

Phase 1 of the letters and sounds approach introduces, the 44 sounds of the alphabet rather than the 27 letters of the alphabet. This is done through lots of singing and nursery rhymes, sound discrimination then leading onto word games introducing the children to oral blending (not expected until they are 5 and then decoding. The program goes right up through the schools until yr 3.

Google the letters and sounds program, but do so with a health warning for children under the age of 5 you only need to look at phase 1 and the strands within it, do not fast track your child into phase 2 etc. If they have phase one firmly embedded then the rest will come naturally and quickly as they progress through school. Also remember every child learns differently so experiment with your approaches.

Siemo

Whatever you do please don't teach him to write in capital letters...it drives me mad when children arrive at school being able to write KATIE or whatever - it takes the whole reception year to re-learn how to write their name! I'm not sure why parents do this, I don't know any adults who write in capitals!

I'm a reception teacher and I completely agree with everything Pinklipgloss has said - excellent posts thank you.