What age do you begin a formal Writing program?

[Mom28kds]

Next year I will have a 3rd, 4th and 5th grader. If I begin a program I would probably do IEW and have them all do it. Since they are still learning grammar should I wait a year or 2? I'm on a budget and at some point will need something like IEW with DVD's to help teach writing but I don't want to get it before we need it. When is a good age to start formal writing compared to just learning grammar? Thanks :)

[MEmama]

I think it really depends on the kid. We had dabbled for years (a little Bravewriter here, a paragraph book there) but didn't get really serious until this year (6th). It was MUCH later than I would have preferred, but for my son it was absolutely the right thing. Now after completing IEW SWI-B, my DH even expressed his gratitude for my patience--he knows I've spent years defending the need for DS's internal motivation to kick in. ;)

[CAmomof4]

We started IEW this year with my 2nd grader.  She is somewhat advanced in her reading/language skills already, and we basically "dabbled" this year, only doing the first 4 units from the video.  DD took well to it.  I think she was ready for it.  The first units are easy for younger kids to grasp, and Andrew Pudewa says in the videos, don't be overly attentive to correcting their spelling and grammar when they first begin writing - so I don't think the fact that they're learning grammar should be a deterrent to using the system.  That being said, was it necessary to start this young?  Absolutely not.  But DD was reeeallly getting tired of the whole dictation/narration thing, and for us it was a fun way to build a little bit more of an activity around some passages we were reading in history and science.

[NancyNellen]

We do formal grammar from grades 1-7. We begin a separate writing program (Classical Writing) in grade 3 or 4 depending on when they are ready for it.

[SilverMoon]

Mine all started a writing course around 3rd or 4th grade. They studied grammar simultaneously.

[Momto4inSoCal]

We are doing TC this year with my 3rd and 4th grader. I think it is a great curriculum to start with. We are doing half iew half w&r next year (4th and 5th)

[Chelli]

I'm not planning on starting grammar or a writing program until 3rd/4th grade. This is a totally different approach then I took with my oldest, but I don't see much use in starting it younger than that. I feel like the time I used doing grammar and writing in 1st and 2nd would have been better served doing other things.

[Mrs Twain]

I teach my kids how to write a complete sentence in K-1st. In 2nd, I start my kids on R&S grammar and the first half of IEW SWI-A. In 3rd and higher, we keep working through the IEW DVDs and grammar, and also work on writing paragraphs (using other sources).

[ALB]

We started Classical Composition in 4th grade and just did copy work and dictation prior to that.  We had used R&S grammar up til then, but now are using MP's Grammar Recitation.

[8filltheheart]

I start formally teaching my children basic writing skills once they are decent readers. I start with copywork. Copywork is not simply words that they copy. I use it to teach basic mechanics, simple grammar, sentence structure, etc. After they have mastered those basic skills, they move to the same process with paragraphs. Once they have understanding of basic paragraph structure, that is when they start writing independent paragraphs.

[pehp]

The approach I am taking is basically exactly what 8FillTheHeart described!  

[strawberryjam]

I recently discovered "Just Write" by EPS. Same company that makes the "Explode the Code" workbooks. The "Just Write" workbooks start at Grade 1 level. "Write About Me", "Write About My World". Painless introduction to beginner writing skills. My son was a very reluctant writer (cause he's a perfectionist and didn't want to attempt anything unless he could do it perfectly the first go) and these books have been a perfect introduction for him. They go up to Grade 4 (they aren't long books so we'll probably be done early), and after that you can do a more formal program. 

[Bluegoat]

We've done copywork in younger grades, and in grade 2 we used English for the Thoughtful Child, but did almost everything orally.

 

Last year for grade 3 we tried WWE, and it was a total dud, my daughter hated it passionatly, and I found it a little mind-numbing as well. 

 

This year we are using Writing and Rhetoric, Growing with Grammar, and Sequential Spelling, and all have been going really well.  In part I think this is because the programs have been a good fit, but also I think it is developmental - my dd's physical ability to write has caught up enough that it it doesn't hold her back, and it is automatic enough that it doesn't cause her trouble with dictation.