"Preschool" & Handwriting - Perspective, Please!

[justthinkn]

I was visiting with a good friend today, and her little boy, who is 11mo's older than DD, had written DD a card for her 3rd birthday. It's a little boy scrawl, but totally legible: "to *Name* From *Name* HappyBirth Day I Love You anb..." Since this was a spontaneous message from the little boy, there was apparently a longer message about how DD was not to play with his legos that they decided to trim out

So my first response was just how cute and sweet of him... My second response, hours later, was, WAIT, is DD supposed to be able to write like that in just 11mo's??? She's precocious in many ways, but I just don't see that happening. And I have no real plans to work on it until she seems interested. (That's ok, right?) My friend's little boy is definitely quite precocious and in a Montessori program, where I know they focus a lot on fine motor skills...

So I know, I really do know, the answer is every kid is different, there's no need to rush into writing if DD doesn't seem ready... Any other reassuring thoughts or experiences?

[Grace and Granola]

No worries Of course every child is different. I'm chiming in because I have a boy who could write well at age 3. He is 4yo now and his writing is straight and NEAT! He started out writing balls and sticks, on his own, and it evolved on its own to very precise writing. Very surprising since I hear so often how boys have trouble with writing.

I'm not saying that to brag! I have a second son who is now 3. He has very little interest in holding any type of writing instrument. If you ask him to draw a circle (or whatever) he flat out refuses, so I leave him be. If handed a coloring page, he scribbles all over the paper. He is different from his brother in many ways, and this is one.

All that to say, two boys in the same household, same parents, same environment older one writes and I don't even see it in the 3yo's future, but it will come....eventually!

[deditus]

Oh not at all! All kids are SO different! My dd was expressing interest this past winter/early spring at learning to write. She asked me to show her some different letters so I thought, well maybe it is time to get her started on this...I ordered the HWOT stuff and have it here ready,but now with summer she is busy playing outside all the time. I am happy to let her play and save the handwriting for next fall/winter. Dd will be 4 in2 weeks, BTW. She is all about LARGE motor skills and not so much about small motor skills (complete opposite of me!).

[Casha'sMommy]

Just wanted to add my two cents.

DD has always been advanced in the area of fine motor skills. (She was lacing beads for 3/4 yo at 8/9mos) She paints at her easel and colors regularly using average size brushes and crayons, etc. (not the chunky, toddler size) However, she has absolutely no interest in learning to write any more letters. She knows how to write quite a few, she figured this out on her own so no instruction on my part. She would just rather run, jump, play, sing, entertain her baby brother, and generally act like a monkey. lol
I thought I'd share as our situations seem similar.

[dotnetdiva]

Every child is different in every area. I wouldn't worry about it.

But 11mos is a long time. My daughter went from scribbles to perfectly formed handwriting in that time. Writing is one of her biggest interests now and she works on it all the time. At 4 she was scribbling and wanted to learn to write. At 5 she is trying to teach herself cursive. But in other subjects, she has just average ability/interest.

Another story, two years ago I met a little 3 year old boy who was a reading and spelling genius, taught himself with Starfall. I knew my daughter wasn't going to be like that, at least not at that early. I wasn't worried back then.

[inkslinger]

My 3 1/2 year old dd has absolutely no interest in writing. She draws crude human figures now, but she has little interest in attempting letters. When my now 6-year-old was the same age, she was writing on everything! So yes, every child is different! I wouldn't worry, she will get there eventually

[WednesdayO]

I have a 5.5 year old who's been writing her name since she was turning 3, but IMHO she's one of the exceptions. I taught preschool and PreK aged children and many of them enter Kindergarten still scribbling.

Everyone is right... children are all very different. There is no right or wrong when it comes to writing especially.

[justthinkn]

Thanks for all your stories and reassurances! I knew the feeling of worry was ridiculous, and this is just an early opportunity to practice not comparing my DD with anyone else's child I'll stick with thinking, how cool and cute of my friend's little boy Thanks again!

[bluebirdiemama]

That is so adorable! I think he is def an exception. Although 11 months is a long time! Your dd will learn a lot in that time frame.
My ds is 3 years, 2 months and he is not much interested in writting. I'm not worried at all. He's very advanced in other ways

[prothyraia]

My oldest turns four in four months, and is absolutely nowhere near able to write. He just made his first attempt at forming an actual letter today, I'm sure you can imagine how that went

Writing/drawing/etc. just isn't an area of interest for him right now.

[artgoddess]

My son could not read or write at 4. He's 6 now and was probably the top reader in his kindy class. He takes his time to write (he may be the last one done if the whole class is working on something) but his writing is very neat and easy to read, his spelling is fantastic. It happens when it happens. I wouldn't worry about your DD being behind at all.

[cappuccinosmom]

Eh. Don't worry about it.

She'll read and write when she's ready. Some kids are a little earlier, some are later. I have three kids with three different levels of ability in fine motor skills. Early in one thing, late in another, average in another.

[tanyalynn]

My DD seemed slower to write than most of the other little girls we knew. Part of me was thinking "Oh my goodness, is she supposed to be able to do THAT?!?" and part of me figured I should chill and let her get to it in her own time. That time came, and whoa, within just a few months she went from scribbles (not a kid who did those intricate drawings when she was little) to writing legibly and drawing stuff that was very understandable. No effort from me--it seemed very much a developmental leap she made on her own. When she turned 5, no writing in sight; when she turned 6, it was legible.

I think DS is going to be on an even later timeline than DD was, but it's easier with kid #2. Or maybe he'll surprise me, but right now, he's 4y2m and draws only tornadoes (his description, it's mostly round scribbles).

[justthinkn]

More and more reassuring... What's really jumping out to me is that this is a developmental thing that will begin to emerge naturally, assuming exposure, etc., as much if not more than a "thing to be taught." The more schoolish way of thinking about it is so much more what I'm used to, that it still leaks in!

[Mama Shifra]

Maybe this would seem offensive to some, but I am not trying to offend anyone. However, there are some "experts" (including the founder of Handwriting Without Tears) who feel that preschool children should not be using writing implements like stick crayons or pencils at all, for fear of forming bad habits and non-standard grips. That's why I like the Stockmar block crayons; you cannot form a bad handwriting grip with them. I am not saying that this child has a bad grip. I am just saying that by not rushing children into writing before they are ready, they are less likely to develop poor handwriting skills.