Question for (preschool?) teachers

[misskitty100]

DH and I have started working with our 3 1/2 year old on writting his name. So far we have covered "D" which is the first letter of his name. I am wondering if we should teach him capital letters for the rest of his name? If I remember right, isn't that what you normally learn first?

Also any tips on how to go about doing this? Currently we just write out a bunch of D's and sit with him (and cheer him on) as he practices.

[Terri_A]

I am not a preschool teacher, but do have a 4 1/2 yo! My DD started out writing her name in all capitals around age 3 - 3 1/2. At the start of this school year, her teacher went over lowercase letters and they all began writing with the first letter capitalized and the rest lower case. Now, she is starting on her last name ( bless her heart, ours is not an easy one!!! ).

When DD started, I would write her whole name for her to copy, not just one letter only because it was more interesting to her. A page of her own name was more intriguing than a page of Ss or As!!!

Good luck and have fun. No matter how he does, he did great!

[ClaraB]

I know it's a stretch, but could you make a connection with a kindergarten teacher where your DS will go to school? I suggest this because when my DS started grade 1 here (he did kindergarten in Canada), he had to relearn his letters because they used D'nealian lettering here (it's a kind of pre-cursive printing). Just so you're aware that there are different ways of making your letters and you might want to see what kind your school district uses.

[mrswaz]

Ours was capital first letter, followed by small letters. I had spent so much time getting her to write her name in all caps, figuring that's what they'd do first. I was really surprised the pre-k checklist came and they wanted the little letters.

Oh, and our school district is using the Zaner-Bloser alphabet, if that helps you any. I've found the writing pages at The Learning Page to be excellent for helping with letter and number writing.

[KristaMB]

I'm also not a preschool teacher, but I am the mom of a 5 year old. In preschool he learned to write in all capital letters, and did a lot of practice on lower case. In kindergarten he does what PP have said, the first letter of his name is capitalized, the rest are lower case. Like Clara, our district also uses the D'nealian lettering system.

I second the Learning Pages suggestion, too. DS has had a lot of fun with "homework" that I've printed from thier site.

[memartha]

Hi Miss Kitty,

I know I'm going to tell you much more than you wanted to know. I can't help myself.

In our preschool, we first teach children the proper way to hold a pencil or crayon before we progress to writing a name, usually around age 4, unless the child is truly interested and capable earlier.

We teach the pincher grasp through games and manipulatives that involve the child using his thumb and first two fingers to pick up and manipulate objects, while keeping the other two fingers (ring and pinky) out of the way. I have no idea how your child's fine-motor skills are, but preschoolers can be all over the map in terms of their development.

If the child begins writing with an improper pencil grip, he/she will have to be re-taught how to write with the proper grip in kindergarten, which can be frustrating.

As you suspected, we teach uppercase letters first. They seem to be more easily recognizable to the children.

Finally, make any home-based learning activity fun for your son.

[MrsReber]

I have a 5yo DD and 4 yo DS. They both learned capital letters first because they were easier to write and recognize (b and d confuse young children)

Now, in kindergarten, they're asking the kids to use lower case. I would start with upper case and then work on lower case, rather than try to get a young child to learn and know all the letters, upper and lower. I think it was easier for DD to start with all caps and then realize that relationship between upper and lower case.

By the way, DD could write her first name all by herself when she was 3- the daycare teachers thought that was amazing. So you're already ahead.

[DebGo]

I know it's a stretch, but could you make a connection with a kindergarten teacher where your DS will go to school?

awesome idea! just call the school and ask the office. they will know which letter formation is taught.

In our preschool, we first teach children the proper way to hold a pencil or crayon before we progress to writing a name

as a 1st grade teacher i find that it is VERY DIFFICULT to change how a child holds a pencil. it's so much easier to teach the correct way. i purchased some pencil grips at a local teaching supply store and attached them to numerous household pencils DD used. she is 4-1/2 and no longer needs the grips to remind her how to hold her pencil.

also, the local teaching supply should have the 2 different alphabet tablets for d'nealian or traditional lettering.

[mrswaz]

Along the lines of this subject, I went to our local educational store to put together a busy box for my almost 3 DS who wants to do homework when his sister does hers. I was going to pick up some fun looking pencils for him when I saw the pencils that are fatter than standard #2 pencils. They are awesome, and he's already busy doodling with his very own pencils. They are HB#2, and may be something to look into for beginning writing.

[misskitty100]

You guys are AWESOME. Believe me, I NEVER knew there were different alphabets....I guess you really do learn something new every day!!

We are stuck at home today due to a big snow/ice storm but I will go to Lakeshore Learning next week. I know they have the pencil gripper things....I tried last night to show DS about holding the pencil but he said he could do it better using his whole hand .

On Tuesday, I will ask his preschool teacher which alphabet the elementary school uses -- she used to be a 1st grade aide at his future school.

Thanks again everyone!

[kjl]

I have one other idea to share. My neighbor's son learned this way at his preschool. They wrote his name in yellow highlighter, and he wrote over it in pencil or pen. This helped him learn how to write his name when he was 3 years old.

[LA98]

DebGo, memartha, or any other preschool teachers:

Just curious, do you tend to see major differences between boys and girls at this age (3 1/2 to 4)? My DS is starting to trace letters in preschool. I was looking at some of the worksheets they were doing and I noticed that most of the girls' sheets were nearly perfect while the boys' were much more shaky and imprecise. The girls' drawings seem far more advanced also (faces, etc). I just found that fascinating!

[DebGo]

DEFINITE developmental stage. girls are USUALLY neater and sooner. boys aren't USUALLY as interested in "coloring between the lines" or making "flowers, suns & hearts" in pictures , but that being said. my DD #1 is 4-1/2 and although she is writing her name, it is messy and many of the letters are backwards (although if i am standing with her and talking her through the writing it is better). as well she doesn't have much interest in "embelishing" her pictures. still likes to "scribble". many other girls in her preschool class are wonderful budding artists -- my DD however isn't one of them!

i doubt at this age (and even into the early elementary grades) you'll find many boys writing neat and embelishing their pictures -- don't worry though, they eventually catch up (unless they're going to be a doctor ). by 3rd grade most know HOW to write neatly, it's a question of whether they CHOOSE to or not!

also in this age of technology, many reports are required to be typed on the word processor. why learn to write neatly when everything you turn in is typewritten??? which leads me to spelling.... oh, don't get me started!

[misskitty100]

I have one other idea to share. My neighbor's son learned this way at his preschool. They wrote his name in yellow highlighter, and he wrote over it in pencil or pen. This helped him learn how to write his name when he was 3 years old.

What a great idea!! I would never have thought of that! We will give it a try tonight!

LA98 - At DS's preschool most of the girls can sign their names and that goes for DS's play group too. The boys on the other hand are a different story...nothing wrong with that I guess, just interested in doing other things at this point.

[Kristilyn1]

I took kind of a mini-seminar at our elementary school with our OT person and she said the real problem with kids learning too early to write is that they may learn bad habits that make it hard to teach them the correct grip and can lead to the muscles not developing properly for good writing. The muscles used, start at your shoulders and work all the way down to the fingertips. So, unless you are positive you are teaching the correct grip and posture, I wouldn't try to teach your child to write anything. Activities such as cutting along lines with scissors and other small work (beads, etc.) are all great tools for pre-writing. My youngest is 7 and left-handed. He is very bright and does great at school, except for writing. It is extremely difficult for him and he gets fatigued very easy. He has had grips and extra help from OT since Kindergarten and he has made great strides, but it is difficult for him to sit and write for long periods of time. Granted, a big part of the problem is he is lefty and I did not know how to help him when he got started, but I now teach writing to first graders with "issues" with writing and you ain't kidding when you say how hard it is to re-teach proper grip and also proper letter formation. Many, many of my kids start their letters at the bottom or otherwise use outdated strokes and they do expect them to do it the "right way" once they are in first grade.

So, not trying to scare you off--but make sure YOU know what you are doing before you start or you may do more harm than good. No, it's not rocket science---do a little research first and make sure your child's muscles are ready--if he/she can't hold an approximation of the proper pencil grip than it is too early.

Kristi

[PamN]

On the subject of perceived differences between boys and girls of the same chronological age, it used to be said that the small bones of the wrist and hand develop faster in girls than boys, so girls are more physically adept at small motor skills like writing and drawing at an earlier age. Since their efforts are praised (and their letters look more like the examples, even to them), girls use those skills more -- practice writing, embellish drawings -- because it's an activity they can succeed at.

I was careful not to push my son. I thought he might be frustrated at not being (physically) able to put down on paper what he clearly saw in his head. But I did make sure to compliment his writing/drawing when he chose to do those things himself. If asked, I would print words and letters for him, but I didn't push him to do this. He did do a lot of the other small motor activities Kristi mentioned. We read a *LOT* and did pre-reading activities in an informal way, but not so much the writing/drawing.

Eventually, everything evens out in terms of physical growth, and boys will write and draw just as often as the girls. And as well or better, if they have the individual temperament (patience) for it.

So, is difference in physical development not accepted wisdom any more?