Hand writing in a 5 year old

grass_is_greener

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flea72

In yr1 handwriting should be just about legible. I wouldnt expect it to be uniform in size, and letters with tails, will be written on the same level as standard text, with mixing between caps and lower case.

Yes, there is the odd child (usually girl) who has lovely flowing writing, but they are not the norm. Spider like scrawl will be what most children have. If they can write their name clearly (as thats what they get to write the most) then your child is doing ok

Purleygirl

It would be pretty large and messy at this age, actually you can ask your health visitor or GP for an appointment to see an occupational therapist, he/she would be best placed to tell you about hand grip etc. Particularly as your child is naturally left handed, the OT will be able to discuss that with you.

mucklebones

Was also going to suggest an OT, they work with children with pencil grips and can often suggest things like weighted pencils and exercises to strengthen the muscles needed to write with.

Ratboy

Going off my personal experience at Primary school, we were given a spelling test, and there was a word that, at the time I deemed a 'naughty' word, can't remember what it was, and refused to read it, even though I could.

So I was taken for extra classes in reading/writing, the whole gambit of Peter and Jane Books, but to improve my writing using 3 lined paper, so that the characters could be aligned correctly.

This extra tuition certainly helped me for the rest of my life.

Are you aware of 3 lined paper? where you write say a "d" upto the middle line, in order to form the characters.

Hope this doesn't come across as patronising, in fact there doesn't seem to be a real need to write anymore, even signing for a parcel is electronic thesedays

meritaten

she is five? and had problems with breaking her dominant arm and you are worried her handwriting is 'messy'? ALL five year olds have messy handwriting, they are just learning! methinks you expect too much!

scubaangel

I had horrific handwriting as a child, my parents were always told not to worry as when I was taught joined up I'd relearn how to form the letters and should get neater - unfortunately for them I moved from a school where biro was allowed to one where fountain pens were the norm, and as a leftie smudged virtually everything I wrote albeit that it was a lot easier to read before I smudged it!

shirlgirl2004

If you are genuinely concerned, and I don't think you should be, then I'd get her to practice her fine motor control. Picking up beads with small tweezers and moving them from one cup to another is an easy example. You could also encourage writing in sand, maybe on a tray. Encourage anit-clockwise movement because that is the direction of handwriting. If you Google Montessori hand writing acitivities you should find lots of examples.

Gloomendoom

shirlgirl2004 wrote: »

If you are genuinely concerned, and I don't think you should be, then I'd get her to practice her fine motor control. Picking up beads with small tweezers and moving them from one cup to another is an easy example.

This may actually work. When I was a child, for some reason, I had to do the same exercise with marbles but with my toes. My party piece is writing my name with my right foot.

pigpen

meritaten wrote: »

she is five? and had problems with breaking her dominant arm and you are worried her handwriting is 'messy'? ALL five year olds have messy handwriting, they are just learning! methinks you expect too much!

Absolutely!!!!

My 17 y/o couldn't write at all until he was 7 and his pencil control is appalling, he still uses triangular pencil grips!

She will get there, most do, just let her be!!

I'll find you an example of my childrens writing at 5 tomorrow if I remember (goldfish!!)

phill99

Meritaten is completely right. You really are over-reacting.