Not Writing Without Support

Updated on January 23, 2015
S.P. asks from Slidell, LA
13 answers

My Son is 3 1/2 years old. He joined schools recently. He is good in oral. But he is not writing alphabets or numbers without support. What shall i do to make him writing without any support?

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Thank you for all lovely moms who responded to my Q.

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K.C.

answers from Barnstable on

He is really young to worry about this :)

I was a preschool teacher for years and the 3.5 year olds (especially the boys) all tended to need help with fine motor skills like writing.

He is COMPLETELY normal.

Cheers!

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

hi
at 3 1/2 he is still learning motor skills.. even by kinder, they can't write too well... you see, the muscles in their hands are still forming....... and will continue to form.. it takes time to learn how to write... and hold a pen.. let alone a crayon.... if you have a "good" preschool teacher, him/her should be able to explain this to you and ease your concerns.... Also, because they are justing learning to hold certain objects, that is why you have them do things like draw, learn to zip their jackets.. simple things... the writing will come.. again, any good teacher should be able to help explain the different stages of motor skill growth in a child and let you know where or not your child is on point.. I am sure he is.. as he already knows the oral aspect.. writing is actually much harder.

H.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

No offense, seriously, but your son is 3 1/2, my 5 year old daughter is in the last few weeks of preschool this year, and can only write her name, and her brothers name. You are being too h*** o* your son. This is not the time to be focused on writing. Relax!!!! Wait a year.......

T.N.

answers from Albany on

Good Heavens! Does a 3 year old really NEED to write letters? If so what will he do in kindergarten when he's 5 or 6, Trigonometry?! Don't fret Mamma, it all evens out in 1st grade! My kids, now 13, 15, and 17, all went to a NURSERY school, not PRE-school where the focus was only on social skills and learning to be a valuable member of a group of peers.......they did not WRITE much before kindergarten, they could write their names but this was more for show than any cognitive ability...they are now all outstanding students with high GPAs in the advanced classes....let the babies be babies....and savor it, soon they'll be wanting homework help that is WAY beyond you, giggle!

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J.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Gosh, is this what they are teaching and pushing ing PRE-K? They completely lack the fine motor skills for writing.

Please go find a school that focuses on gross (large) motor skills. He should be riding a tricycle, running, jumping, climbing, dressing up, digging in the sand......

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S.D.

answers from Topeka on

My 3 1/2 yr old pretends to write it is scribbles they are still a bit young to write letters & numbers correctly.What are you worried about? You can practice with him but don't expect him to sit there for hrs a day learnig to write if he does kudos but kids get antsy they are busy bodies learning in spurts.My son is in kindergarten he did start writing his name by the time he was 4 not perfect but he was trying and did very well now he is writng words numbers addition what he learns here at home and school when he wasn't trying to learn his name and write it I was concerned but after that it came naturally.

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N.D.

answers from Dothan on

My 3.5 yr old same way. In her preschool they are learning how to write but mostly its about understand the letters. She finally can sing her abc's its so cute but dont stress the writing. There is absolutely know reason for them to write. However getting them to read is another story, it can open up their world a little more but again not necessary. Enjoy the playful years before the child is bombarded with too much education from K-Senior in HS. We put way too much in them in those years. ALso nver compare your kids to others, thats always bad. Preschool is good for kids unlike some of these cracked out moms who say it does nothing. It teaches them social skills need for school (sorry moms playdates arent enough) discipline such as listening to their teachers, being quiet, waiting their turns ect ect by being in a different enviroment than home they can see how you function outside of the home. Im all for pre-k, its something to do for the kids that is different and entertaining and mommies could always use a break LOL

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M.R.

answers from Columbus on

S.,

At 3.5, there may not be much you can do to make him write independently. If you feel strongly aobut it, you can try, but don't expect that he will develop this skill until midway through kindergarten, and if this effor produces frustration, I would suggest you not push him. It is not developmentally within the expectations for his age to write independently, and if he is able to learn this skill early, it will not help him be any further along than he would be anyway by the end of 3rd grade.

At his age, he should be working on pre-writing skills like hand manipulations and coloring, painting, playing in sand and just playing in general. Teaching him how to hold the crayon with a good grasp will be helpful too. Reading to 3 year olds and letting them play and expand their verbal skills is the very best education you can provide, and this will get them as ready as they need to be by kindergarten.

If you have reason to beleive that he has issues with his development (and not being independent in writing letters and numbers is not a flag at this age) then seek evaluation sooner rather than later, which is advice I give to every parent who is concerned, but from your post, I don't see big flags here, so I would relax and enjoy your bright, happy, verbal 3 year old!

M.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

You can buy age appropriate learning books with letters and numbers that they cn trace around , but please keep in mind he is only 3 1/2 , most kids that age don't write letters and numbers independently , my daughter is 4 1/2 and still in preschool and she struggles with some of the letters. Don't push him too hard so that he thinks of school and learning as a chore. K is where they will learn all this and start putting it all together , preschool should be fun and about them learning how to be in a school/classroom enviroment..

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S.L.

answers from Fort Myers on

Writing Help provides a complete series of premium writing services that help students to standout from the rest of the class.
http://toptenwritingreviews.com/

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S.K.

answers from Denver on

Agree with the responses below. He's still really young!! give him time and remember kids have a short attention span at that age. He'll do it at 4 or 5, or maybe 6. Don't worry!!

C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

you can help him practice - but my 3 1/2 year old has a very short attention span, and just started preschool too. is being able to write his alphabet and numbers a prerequisite for the kindergarten he will go to? that's a year or two away still! that seems awful advanced. all kids learn on different levels. 3 1/2 just seems young to be writing already. my son does okay with what his preschool requires, circling things, tracing basic shapes, drawing lines from one thing to another. but they are just barely starting to trace some basic letters. they sure don't expect him to be able to write them all by himself. i say relax and let the school do their job. he'll be fine and has TONS of time before he has to know this stuff. (i think!)

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R.R.

answers from Dallas on

Boys are often not interested in writing as soon as girls are. If you push it, he will resist. let it come on it's own, and just keep talking about the letters with him. Sometimes, they will be more interested if you use creative methods, such as writing in sand, using sidewalk chalk, or doing fingerpaints on wax paper with pudding.

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