Letter and number reversals five year old

[Homeschoolmommy44]

I know letter reversals is something that happens alot in the beginning. My five year old does p, q, b, g, s and 7, 5,3, 6 reversed! Everyday we practice but she forgets. Should I worry she may have some problem? How did your kids get over this and when do I start to think its something more?

 

 

 

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[kateingr]

Five is definitely too early to worry. It can be crazy-making when you feel like you've gone over the same thing over and over and over, but it's very developmentally appropriate for kids to struggle with reversals for quite a while. Their spatial sense just isn't quite developed enough to always get them straight. My son took until he was 8 to consistently get all of his letters and numbers correct, and my almost-six-year-old is still working on it.

 

Here's a blog post I wrote on it with a few tips (Help! My Kid's Numbers are Backwards), but my main advice is to make sure your child has an alphabet and number strip always visible at her table so that she can look at it whenever she needs it. It will help imprint the correct "picture" of the letters and numbers in her brain--and keep you from always having to be the reversal cop. 

 

 

[AggieMama]

It is typical until about 7-8. Keep practicing and reminding her about the correct formation. I would wait a year or two before really worrying about it, unless you see other signs of dyslexia.

[HomeAgain]

My 6yo reverses sixes and eights, writing them backward.  I'm not worried yet.  We did cut down on most letter reversals by not using a ball/stick method (each letter has its own formation instead of trying to remember each part's placement), and he doesn't reverse them when reading, so I'm pretty sure it's a stage he'll grow out of on his own time. 

[alisha]

Mine had that also. I basically would start by pointing it out. Then, would ask him to read it back, and he would catch it. Then, pretty soon he started catching it himself and re-writing it, and finally, it has decreased as he catches it as he puts his pencil down or starts writing. I think it's just practice to get that muscle memory working.

[Homeschoolmommy44]

Thanks so much!

 

 

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[vonfirmath]

It is typical until about 7-8. Keep practicing and reminding her about the correct formation. I would wait a year or two before really worrying about it, unless you see other signs of dyslexia.

 

My son had this problem until some time in 2nd grade. (So he was 7 years old). IT did get better every year. But -slowly-

 

[SilverMoon]

Very normal. My 5yo still can't get his shoes on the right feet to save his life. Bb/Dd mixups are his nemesis..lol.

[raptor_dad]

I think word and number reversals are slightly different cases. Both my boys had gotten rid of letter reversals by mid first grade... because they actually matter. They both reversed 3,4,5,7,9 and older has finally dropped the last reversals(3 and 4) at the end of 3rd grade. The difference is that number reversals don't confuse the meaning so it took longer/I let it go longer.

[OneStepAtATime]

Normal for the age. Have an example in front of your child for all the normal reversals and ask them to check periodically and correct if you feel it is very important.  I wouldn't make it such a big issue that it undermines your child's confidence or desire to learn/write.  Reversals usually correct themselves by 7.

 

However, if this continues, and there are other areas that seem off, you might look into not only dyslexia or stealth dyslexia but also an eye exam through a developmental optometrist (not a pediatrician or an ophthalmologist or a regular optometrist unless they specifically state they do developmental eye screenings).  Look on the COVD website for one in your area.  Kids can have perfect visual acuity and still have developmental vision issues that do not show up on a standard eye exam.

[MerryAtHope]

Very normal. Here's a blog article on reversals that has techniques you can use for letters and numbers, including tactile activities, large arm movements, and analogies. I would work on one at a time, master that, and then try another (or, perhaps one letter and one number). If you try to work on all of them at once, it will probably be harder, and your child will keep confusing them. HTH!

[Homeschoolmommy44]

Thanks so much all your comments are very helpful!!

 

 

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[SkateLeft]

My kids all did that until about 7 or 8 years old, so as others have said, it's totally normal!