Any creative ideas for teaching my child to write?

Question

She is nearly 4....she is disliking the teaching methods at her nursery....they have to colour in worksheets with letters on and she wont do it...(even though she can) she can recite the whole alphabet and also can tell me what letter a particular word begins with....and sometimes what the next letter is....I am annoyed at her teacher who is trying to force my child to do it her way...the teacher is suggesting that my daughter is not capable when I know she is....she can draw very well and has a great grasp of language....we have 3 weeks off school and I want to help my child to learn to write during this time...but without stressing her out...I dont want to pressure her...but I wont have her labeled as incapable either...so I want to make it seem like a game....we read a lot and she loves that...she also likes singing the alphabet...but what can I do to get her to begin to copy the letters onto paper?

Answer 1

Give her painting job of her liking and capacity and after painting , ask her to write the captions of items in painting. This is slow procedure but it will work.

Answer 2

Worksheets !!! So developmentally inappropriate!!! even for 5 yr olds! I have worksheets in the writing area of my class. Kids are welcome to do these if they choose. Some older 4's do just that. Perfection (or even being right) is not the object. I do assign a school 'project' every week for my older kids.this may be bringing me a finished worksheet, or just writing name or numbers on a  paper. "School Assignment" is due anytime that week. If it is not getting done, I find a creative way to sneak it in. I have the kids 'write a letter' to a friend. If they are having a pretend party, I have them write out invitations. I might even have them write out a recipe. Kids doing an activity they want to save for the next day, I teach them to write the word NO. I have menus, recipe cards, greeting cards, word strips, and the child's name all out for the kids to see every day. 'Word Props' I call them. There are many fun, and unsuspecting ways, to get kids to 'write'. At this age the focus needs to be on making the activity fun and meaningful.

Answer 3

Someone has already made a very wise suggestion, she really doesn't need to be writing letters at age four, however if you are keen to prompt her interest try focusing on linking the sounds of letters to their shape before insisting on formation of letters. Make up interesting alliterative strings to go with physical cues, eg: ants on the apple, use your fingers to represent ants crawling, silly snake slithers in the sand, making s shape with hands, etc. Also try making playdough and creating lettershapes with the dough, again emphasise the sounds the letters make when you play together. Finally, if you are insistent on her writing, try using sand or glitter trays, and marking out the letters with fingers or sticks, this way mistakes can be erased in a shake, and it is so much more fun for 4 year old than a pen or pencil that they would much rather draw with. Hope this helps. Try to keep in mind that all children learn in their own ways at their own rate and you have nothing to prove to the teacher, remind your self that learning should be fun and not a race. Hope you enjoy your holiday together.

Answer 4

Hiya Daisy,

There are some great ideas here that have added onto my suggestions of a couple of days ago. Love the spaghetti one!

Couple of websites for you:

http://www.yellowmoon.org.uk/

http://www.brightminds.co.uk/

Both have pre-school educational resources for your perusal.  'Jolly Phonics' is pretty good and used in a lot of schools.  

Bright Minds does a CD where you can type a cursive font in dots for tracing but I would think she would rebel against this one as it's very worksheety.

My daughter was 4 in December and can write pretty well but I always make sure there is a purpose to it and make it fun.  

Today she wrote a birthday card to my sister.

(Last week she went and wrote a letter to our neighbour unprompted 'to bavid and aneeta lov from Erin next dor')

If you are keen to get her to put pencil to paper you could try a diary (my daughter didn't buy this one though)

Good luck!

Answer 5

I would like to pose a new idea - Why does she need to write right now?

It is actually quite developmentally appropriate for kids at 4 NOT to be writing.  There are many children that enter kindergarten not writing, yes, even not writing their names.  That's ok.  If she enjoys letters and words and playing letter and word games, that's wonderful!  Keep that enthusiam!  Get bath crayons and see what she does with them.  Get sidewalk chalk now that summer is arriving.  Pour sand into a cookie sheet and let her draw in that.  Put shaving cream on the bathroom wall and let her draw in that.  Heck, shaving cream is a great thing to help clean with, so put some on the kitchen table too!

In my experience, when children are forced to do something when they aren't interested or ready, it turns them off for a long time coming.  If she is able to recognize letters and words and sounds, that is wonderful.  I wouldn't push it on paper right now.  Believe me, she's going to have to do a lot of writing for the rest of her life, why rush her into copying letters right now?

Answer 6

get her to start playing with crayons and things?

Answer 7

I can understand that the "goal" in your child's classroom might be to actually sit and complete the assigned work. But...is she getting 1-1 time or is this done in a group?

DO NOT bad mouth the teacher with your child in ear shot (easy to do....so many other ways to know if a child really understands certain concepts)...my point is that it doesn't matter if your child is 4 , 6 or 10 years old....they need to do what the teacher is asking. If I were you...not only would I spend time with my child completing similar work sheets (chalk and bubbles are cute...but you already know your child KNOWS her letters....your goal should be helping her understand that in school/life...we need to listen to our teachers/adults) otherwise you are re-enforcing the wrong thing. Suggest to her teacher to send home a "special" homework dutoang...give her lots of praise and positive re-enforcement (stickers) for all her hard work.

Let's face it....it's more fun to play and do other activities than it is to sit and do as you're asked....just a suggestion....don't feed into her not wanting to sit....her teacher is preparing her for expectations they will have in SR Kindergarten and grade one....it's a rude awakening when some kids hit the first grade.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

teach her to draw first if she dose it good try using dots

Answer 9

You do not say which county you are in, however I am  a preschool teacher in the UK.  We follow the Early Years Foundation stage curriculum.  We do not encourage parents to teach their child to write.  I think is fantastic that your child is creative and able with her drawing, and enjoys singing and playing, as these are the things that you should be focusing on at this age.

Basically what I'm trying to say is, stop!  The letter sound and the familiarity of the letter is so much more important than the writing of it, you should concentrate on this, using letter phonics.  I believe that schools also actively encourage parents to not teach their children to write, this is usually because when they start school, they are taught to write in script style (introduction to joining up letters), therefore if the child has been taught at preschool, they will have to learn all over again anyway.

It sounds like you have a very intelligent, happy little girl, just keep doing what your doing.  She's doing everything, and more than you would expect for a child of her age.

Well done!

Answer 10

It's hard to make a child do something they don't want to do.

Your daughters nursery will put her off if they keep forcing her.

You can make learning fun using everyday items.

When you go for a walk get her to trace the letters of road names with her finger and ask her what letters she can see.

Play I spy that will teach her about letters and sounds.

WHSmiths do some great books, I can write and I know my numbers, they are in character form like Mr Men and Little Misses.

If you can find any books on sounds right you might want to look into that as this is what they are teaching children at school right now.

Word Lotto is a good game as is childrens scrabble, they now do one for pre schoolers which you can play together or on their own.

All of these things will help your daughter form letters when she is writing.

Good luck but dont worry to much, i guess she will be going to school so she won't be at nursery much longer anyway

Answer 11

-Tactile games: playdough-making letters from playdough or clay, or having a thin layer of wet sand and using fingers to draw the letter shapes, also messing things like ketchup, or using spagetti(cooked) to make the letter shapes---this is 'learning through play' and less pressure than worksheets-if u play alongside her then it seems less like 'teacher' role.

-Role Play: Writing in play eg: doctors prescritions-dolly or teddies name, their age, medicine, where they hurt-u cna write the words on cards with a picture next to it so she can find which letters she needs to copy. Same can be with shops: shopping list, pricing items, restaurant: taking orders, writing menus etc.

-Real Life: Write a letter to grandma, to friend or even start making a birthday list...you can tell her the letters she needs and she can then write them-this is good way to understand if she is putting letter sound and the written version together or whether she is just copying!

-Songtime: sing old MAcdonals but instead of just saying hte animal the person who chooses 'writes' it down and places in the middle then you make that sound.

I hope some of these ideas help....ru in England? If so then you should talk to her teacher tell her the Early YEars Foundation Stage doesnt say anything about a child 'being able to colour in letters' so she shouldnt be MADE to do them as it is giving her negative selfesteem and cofidence issues...in england teachers are meant to differentiate the curriculum to go along with childrens' interests, talents and level of development. Doing worksheets is frowned on by OFSTED-remind them of that!

If you are really concerned you could speak to OFSTED at www.ofsted.gov.uk and they could advise you further or you can make formal complaint.

Answer 12

You could try filling a shallow tray with sand and use a stick to draw letters,  a chalk board or a wipe clean white board. Make a letter box and find lots of things beginning with the letter of the day and finally write it. I would be very cross with the nursery though, if you are in the UK the Early Years foundation frowns on work sheets and forcing children to write a certain way, indeed they should not be writing at all really. I had a very similar situation with my now 6 1/2 year old. He would not write anything except for his name at nearly 5, he was capable but did not want to, the nursery teachers really upset him and by his 5th birthday he refused to even pick up a pencil. It has taken nearly two years at a fantastic infant school to rectify this. He is by far the brightest child in his class, his maths is at least 3 years ahead of his chronological age and his vocabulary is excellent. his writing is untidy and by far the least favourite of subjects but it will come gradually. Don't let these teachers put your child off, be firm with them and ask them not to force the situation. If your daughter doesn't want to write at home either then let it be. Do things she enjoys instead. You know your child I'm sure she is bright - maybe the worksheets are beneath her!! It will all come together when she is ready. Good luck.

Answer 13

Have you seen the john thaw in Mr Tom he taught a boy by using dots to form the letters then the words have a go she may enjoy it .

c

Answer 14

How about seeing if the she likes copying letters onto things besides paper? (In the dirt with a stick, on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalks, or on the bathtub with (WASHABLE!) markers...) Maybe if you can get her to do that, it will transfer into her wanting to write on paper...

Or how about helping her make her very own alphabet book? You know, where you do a letter a page? Get her excited about it, and have her help you make it using all different types of items (yarn, markers, paints, chalks, glitter, etc)... The only condition is that she has to write a word that begins with each letter in the book. (With your help, if she needs it.) Then you two can find or draw pictures that go along with the word.  You could use an old cardboard box for the covers of the book, and let her design the cover all on her own. Staple  together or hole-punch the cardboard and papers and yarn them together to bind the book. Then later, when you read it to her, highly praise her book, especially her writing.

It's worth a shot... Good luck! :)

Answer 15

Children love things that have texture so use something like play dough to make letters then have her write them on paper.   Some other things you can use are sand, spaghetti, paint.    Have her write her name in the play dough sand with her finger- then transition to writing it on paper.

Answer 16

She may not be ready to write. Why not help her by building up the strenght in her hands. Play with playdough, bead threading etc to help her fine motor skills develop.

As a pre-school practitioner we are always pushed by parents to teach their children to write. This is not important at this stage in their development.

Answer 17

I was thinking of letting her doodle on a whiteboard. U may try looking for things that resemble the alpahbets or even give her interesting cutouts. Simple poems can help with letting her remember the alphabets like what I do in German classes now. Just try something interesting and fun to do for her, most likely related to drawing. Figure out her hobbies and bring her to places she like, then point out different alphabets or even words to learn

Answer 18

OK, as you clearly stated your daughter is 4years old. The nursery teacher should be working with your child to find her best method of learning and continuously changing this method until she finds one that suits your daughter as an individual. I understand that you know that your daughter can do all of these things but by (teaching her in 2 weeks) this will stress her out no matter how much you try not to. The reason that she is able to do this for you and not for her teacher is because with you it is a game and there is no pressure.

What you have to remember is that she is only 4 and that the best way for her to learn at this stage is through fun. Start with mark making activities with her, get some rice and let her choose a colour to dye the rice. Put the rice in a large shallow container and give her a selection of blunt objects. Try not to ask her to trace a letter, alternatively show her a letter, allow her to trace it with her finger and talk about the shape to you. Encourage her to then write the letter in the rice - if she makes a mistake don't make a big deal, give the container a little shake and start again.

Remember FUN, FUN,FUN. GOOD LUCK.