Handwriting for a 4yo?

[birdie22]

Is it OK to leave my 4yo to his own devices when it comes to writing? A few days ago he started asking how to spell things, and writing them himself.

Up till now my attitude about reading and writing has been "let him figure it out in his own time," with lots of reading together for pleasure. I could tell that he knew letters and sounds, but we never worked on it, KWIM?

Now I see that he constructs his letters in sort of a weird way. I am tempted to show him what I think is an easier way, but it got me wondering if there's a "right" way. So here I am, afraid to even encourage him at all.

Is there a great resource for him? Or should I just relax and let him be?

Is there an "overthinking" smilie?

[LionTigerBear]

My four-year-old makes weird letters and words, too. He'll write, "OHHIIO" (he especially likes Hs and Os rigth now!) and say that it means, "I love you Mom".

Just let it be-- they're learning in a very important way right now. They are experiencing the joy of making words and beginning to communicate through a written medium. Introducing the "rules" to soon can really kill that fun and then they won't want to practice anymore-- and they won't be stretchign their brain cells and boosting their confidence by figuring things out on their own. Also, while my son is making "wrong" letters and words, he is practicing his fine motor skills for when he IS ready to do them the right way. Forced practice wouldn't be as much fun and he wouldn't willingly do it as much as he does now when he gets to just play with it.

I am not going to start him on handwriting practice until he's about 6. Maybe 7. We'll see. There is no reason in the world to rush into it. If he picks it up on his own before then, great.

BTW, when he asks me what his words "say", I pronounce them phonetically for him-- we've done some phonetic work already in response to his interest-- but if he says, "Oh, I say it this way" (like, OHHIIO means "I love you") then I just say, "wow, that's great!"

[LianneM]

I got the Handwriting Without Tears books and I really, really them. A big thing I've taken from them is the importance of starting out writing correctly, so that kids don't have to relearn. It's about forming habits and if they practice writing incorrectly then it can be really hard on them later to relearn how to write.

It's not so much about forcing practice as it is modeling the "correct" way.

[MamaPam]

If you are going to use something I would highly suggest the Handwriting Without Tears: Get Set for School book. It only deals with capital letters and pre-writing skills and is designed to be used with a crayon. The hands on letter pieces are great too. Its very age /developmentally appropriate.

[milehighmonkeys]

If he's asking, there's no reason to not show him. Just keep it to what he asks for and don't try to make it into a handwriting lesson. DD has been writing like this for quite a while. She's now writing things all on her own.

[ahdoula]

The hwt preschool book is like a coloring book that teaches letter formation- it's great!

[birdie22]

Thanks for your replies, everyone!

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

My four-year-old makes weird letters and words, too. He'll write, "OHHIIO" (he especially likes Hs and Os rigth now!) and say that it means, "I love you Mom".

Just let it be-- they're learning in a very important way right now. They are experiencing the joy of making words and beginning to communicate through a written medium. Introducing the "rules" to soon can really kill that fun and then they won't want to practice anymore-- and they won't be stretchign their brain cells and boosting their confidence by figuring things out on their own. Also, while my son is making "wrong" letters and words, he is practicing his fine motor skills for when he IS ready to do them the right way. Forced practice wouldn't be as much fun and he wouldn't willingly do it as much as he does now when he gets to just play with it.

I am not going to start him on handwriting practice until he's about 6. Maybe 7. We'll see. There is no reason in the world to rush into it. If he picks it up on his own before then, great.

BTW, when he asks me what his words "say", I pronounce them phonetically for him-- we've done some phonetic work already in response to his interest-- but if he says, "Oh, I say it this way" (like, OHHIIO means "I love you") then I just say, "wow, that's great!"

This sounds alot like where we are right now. I'm going to give him some more time to just play around. I'm not opposed to doing something more structured in the future, so it's good to know about HWT. I guess I'll know when the time is right, or else it will sort itself out.

It's surprisingly hard to do so little!

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by birdie22

It's surprisingly hard to do so little!

I know what you mean!

One interesting idea, well, if you are interested in it, is to get a handwriting practice book for yourself, so that he can see you getting enjoyment from it. (I loved the Getty-Dubay Italic handwriting workbook for adults-- very relaxing to practice if you have a few quiet moments!) Kids really pick things up from example, and seeing you owrk in a workbook might help prepare him for that step so when the time comes he doesn't feel like it's a chore.

BTW, I never learned to form my letters "properly" as a young child and I have very nice handwriting now (I think!) In fact, I had appalling handwriting up until I was, like, 8 or 9. My mom tried to force me to practice before then and I just wouldn't. I wasn't interested. The handwriting became beautiful when I took a personal interest in it. If she hadn't forced the issue she probably wouldn't have met such resistance! And I really don't think there's any hurry with these things. Anyone can learn great handwriting at any point in life if they desire to.