Handwriting for a new 4 year old?

[MeganW]

I was determined to postpone teaching handwriting to my youngest until a more developmentally appropriate age (she just turned 4 two weeks ago). She is so determined to write "cause I'm a big kid!".

 

Since I was not giving her explicit instruction in letter formation, she is figuring it out herself and I am worried about some bad habits emerging.

 

As an example, her capital R looks like a circle with two legs. Kind of like a drawing of a bird. Many of her letters are like this - an incorrect approximation. Cute, but you'd never know what she was trying to write if you didn't see what she was copying from. She loves to copy words, even though she can't read. She finds them everywhere - back of a spoon ("Stainless"), placemat ("Memphis"), etc. She doesn't care what the words say or mean, she just likes to write them. Sometimes forwards, sometimes backwards, sometimes down one side of the page and across the bottom. Sometimes the letters are just randomly strewn about the page.

 

Now that she has figured letter formation out herself, of course, she isn't interested in hearing from me about how to do it properly. I bought the entire HWOT set for preschoolers, and she is NOT INTERESTED. "I already know how to do it!"

 

What now? Do I need to stress about it - is this going to become a major stumbling block in the future? Or can I just let her continue "playing"?

[Momling]

What now? Do I need to stress about it - is this going to become a major stumbling block in the future?

 

No - don't stress. A 4 year old doesn't have the fine motor control that handwriting requires. When she's at a more developmentally appropriate age (like 6 or so), focusing on handwriting makes sense. Until then, it's kind of pointless.

[NanceXToo]

By all means, let her continue playing. Think of it as a "handwriting readiness skill" rather than actual, formal handwriting instruction.

[VBoulden]

Are you sure that we don't have the exact same kid? :grouphug: :D

 

My daughter started doing that, too, and that's when I started teaching her handwriting...

 

I just did what I had planned to do with when she was older.

 

She was teaching herself the wrong ways and if I just let it go, I figured it would be a real problem the longer I waited. She already knew how to hold the pencil, so we just went right into letter formation.

 

I just made my daughter do it the way the arrows in the book showed. She didn't want to at first because just like your daughter, she already had her way of doing it. But, I made it "a matter of obedience." I don't always play that card. Sometimes I let her have a say about what she learns, but in the case of handwriting, it was my way or the highway... so to speak.

 

I mean, is my four year old going to create a method that is more efficient than what people have been doing for centuries? I could tell by looking at her writing, it wasn't going to work for her long term. She needed to learn the "right way."

 

I figured she'd be hindered later on if she didn't learn the most efficient way to write her letters. She needs to be able to take notes and write letters as quickly as possible (even if she does more typing on the computer than writing). I don't want her to start hating handwriting and avoiding it later in school work and in life because she isn't good enough at it or quick enough at it. :001_smile:

Edited October 6, 2010 by VBoulden

[Satori]

My daughter was also determined to learn handwriting. We officially started at age 4.5. I think I started too late, as she picked up an improper grip that is so hard to change now. But her handwriting is very nice, and shortly after turning 5, her she is very in control of her writing and can write very neat and even very small. She then started begging to learn cursive and started teaching herself. So we started cursive now and follow my daughter's lead in subjects like Handwriting.

 

We used Handwriting Without Tears which is very appropriate to start with preschool age. If it wasn't for this program, I'm sure my daughter would have learned some bad habits. She's been totally capable of the fine motor control needed for handwriting. She now writes all day long and loves to write stories. Waiting until 6? Now that seems unfathomable for our situation.

 

Just thought I'd offer another perspective for you. :)

Edited October 6, 2010 by Satori

[VBoulden]

P.S. We did make it fun...

 

She liked putting a heart over the letter she thought looked the best.

 

Then I put a heart over the one I liked best... which was usually the one she did with correct formation techniques ;) to encourage her to do what the arrows said, etc.

 

We are just now finishing with Zanier Bloser's Manuscript K and moving into Manuscript 1... so we took it reeeeally slow.

 

For that reason, I don't think it was too much for her age. :001_smile:

[VBoulden]

Waiting until 6? Now that seems unfathomable for our situation.

 

:)

 

:iagree: The same was true for us.

[BatmansWife]

What now? Do I need to stress about it - is this going to become a major stumbling block in the future? Or can I just let her continue "playing"?

 

Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Sounds like this is normal to me. In time it will get better. I wouldn't stress about it 'cause I really don't think it will become a major stumbling block in the future (but this is just my take on it). I would just let her continue "playing" and I would also get her ReadyWriter. It's fun and practices all the motions needed for handwriting. There are many sheets of the same kind so she can do a bunch now and you can save some for when she's 5 too. There may be other things like this available that I am not aware of.

 

http://www.christianbook.com/readywriter-1-classic-edition-edwin-myers/9781590570098/pd/57009X?item_code=WW&netp_id=339839&event=ESRCN&view=details#curr

 

 

http://rainbowresource.com/product/ReadyWriter/005121/1286401385-56753

[Doodle]

Doodle was very interested in writing at age 4. I bought him Handwriting Without Tears, but not the Pre-K books. He started with the Kindergarten book (Letters and Numbers for Me). He loved it.

[abbeyej]

...Since I was not giving her explicit instruction in letter formation, she is figuring it out herself and I am worried about some bad habits emerging.

 

This happened with my oldest. I kept hearing that three year olds weren't ready for handwriting, and little boys especially didn't write 'til much later, and I shouldn't push him. So I didn't teach him despite *clear* signs that he was ready. ;) He was writing in complete (wildly spelled, unpunctuated) sentences before he turned four. And, just as you predict, he established some bad habits that were a little tough to remediate.

 

...and she is NOT INTERESTED. "I already know how to do it!"

Well, lol, isn't that how most children her age? About... most things?!? "No! I can do it MYSELF!" ;)

 

What now? Do I need to stress about it - is this going to become a major stumbling block in the future? Or can I just let her continue "playing"?

 

Stress? No. "Major stumbling block"? Probably not. ... But I think it's possible to work with her for 5 minutes a day on this in a gentle, playful way and avoid major frustration both now and later.

 

Don't "stress" about it. But just as she has to submit to your parental authority in other areas (brushing her teeth, holding your hand when you cross the road, putting away her toys), I think she can learn to tolerate that 5 minutes a day of gentle teaching. Make it as pleasant as possible for both of you, but do require that she do it.

 

And I think any 4 year old who is writing on her own is capable of learning the very basics of printing. The fact that she's doing it already on her own shows you that she is ready.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I just printed out tracers from online rather than buying something. Now I simply use q regular notepad and use a pen to rule across one line and the line that is second below the first making the line in between the ... well ... the middle line :p and simply write words from his phonics lessons for him to copy or I dictate them to him. Usually just about five words a day, thereabouts. Cheap and flexible and DS, now 4.5, has quite lovely D'Nealian-like style handwriting.

[Guest TheBugsMom]

When my youngest wanted to write letters (around age 3) she did not really have the muscle control needed. She managed to copy anything she wanted though in a handwriting similar to your dd. I decided to wait till she turned 4 and had strengthened her muscles by introducing a cutting program from Kumon. When she was physically ready I let her make her own handwriting letters on her stuff but for school she had to do it my way, which was with a handwriting curriculum in her workbook. It was a compromise that worked. We never had problems and at age 5 she has beautiful handwriting.

[rootsnwings]

My plan (today! :P) is to let them doodle however they want until age 5 then teach Cursive First that goes along with SWR. That way I'm not cramping their style in printing, but they'll be learning to write proficiently in cursive which is sure to affect their natural printing style.....

 

HTH! :D

[FO4UR]

I've got one of those kids too...:D

 

You are better off teaching the correct strokes for the letters now. Just do it on her terms. Playdoh, fingerpaints and chalk...bribe (ahem...engage...lol) her with messy mediums and keep lessons short.

 

Those Kumon letter cards that come with a dry-erase marker are pretty nice, and have caught the attention of my current 4yo.

[abbeyej]

...Playdoh, fingerpaints and chalk...bribe (ahem...engage...lol) her with messy mediums and keep lessons short...

 

Exactly. :)

[Sahamamama]

Waiting until 6? Now that seems unfathomable for our situation.

 

Just thought I'd offer another perspective for you. :)

 

:iagree:It depends on the child. My three girls have all enjoyed coloring, scribbling, "writing" little notes, ;) and pretending to do school at an early age. My oldest (now nearly 6) was like that at not quite 4, and my twins (nearing 4) are like that now. They want to learn to write NOW. :toetap05: :toetap05:

 

I keep putting them off, LOL, until they mature a little bit in some other ways, but they would (truly) be ready to begin the basics of handwriting, if I wanted to put the umph into it. :tongue_smilie:For now, I tell them, "When you turn FOUR, then Mommy will teach you to print all your lower case letters, then all your upper case letters, then all your numerals." That has satisfied them, most days.

 

What I do think they enjoy and can handle at this age is CUTTING. Seriously scary, I know, but Kumon makes a nice book for cutting. That + safety scissors = snips all over your house. :lol: But the concentration is a sight to see, worth buying the book, just to see the girls concentrate. We also do some pencil-control skills. Get a cheap-o workbook from Walmart or wherever, and practice "circle this" and "cross out that." Try to teach her to start the circle in the top right "corner" and go counter-clockwise. Sometimes I put a little red start dot for my monkeys. Rod & Staff also has some preschool books (A, B, C, D, E, F and so on) that have cutting, pasting, matching, and those types of hand-brain-eye exercises. Pre-writing is good to think about now -- play dough, clay, little beads on strings, peg boards, playing with dolls (those clothes are HARD to get on!), and all that fine motor stuff to strengthen hands.

 

For us, the plan is that in January, when the twins turn FOUR, :svengo:I will begin formal instruction in printing. We took this route with my oldest and she had absolutely no problems with those 5-10 minute lessons. If you keep the lessons very short, work on a few letters each week, it might be worth the effort. Depending on the child, I don't think the effort is worthless. HTH.

[Sahamamama]

I forgot something.

 

With my oldest, we made the lesson the place for instruction (e.g., "Do it this way") and then she was free for the rest of the day to "write" in her own way.

 

My 2 Cents -- Keep the instruction in the lesson, not all day long.

[MeganW]

This has been so helpful, both in terms of offering some more gentle alternatives that I hadn't thought of, as well as offering a different perspective on teaching. I have this idea that learning *has* to be 100% fun so I don't ruin their love of learning. So although I am VERY strict about everything else, I am a total pushover as far as the school stuff goes.

 

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

[abbeyej]

...I have this idea that learning *has* to be 100% fun so I don't ruin their love of learning...

 

It's not true. :) Sometimes the *delight* from learning comes with working through something tough and making a breakthrough. Watch a little one learn to do something for him or herself for the first time... :)

 

Working to make school fun for our kids is a great thing to do. But it doesn't have to be a theme park all the time. In fact, I think doing so backfires.

 

Your kids are little. So you don't need to spend a lot of time on school or anything like that. But instead of thinking "fun" all the time, think loving and connected. Engage with them fully, be present, be loving, be gentle (even when you're being gently firm and nudging them along)... But while it's wonderful to have fun on occasion, don't worry that it needs to be your constant goal. Ultimately, you want them to see the learning itself as the "fun"... :)

[DawnL]

My daughter was doing this at 3 years old. She would draw a picture, then write 3 letters, and then would ask, "Is this a word?" I never thought she would develop bad writing habits.

 

She is nearly 10 now, and her handwriting is much more beautiful then mine. In fact, she makes fun of my awful handwriting ;)