Teaching Children?

Question

I need help teaching my four year old to write her numbers. If anyone has any ideas I would be appreciative. She gets frustrated and says that she can't do it. I try to explain that she can do anything if she puts her mind to it. Please help!

Answer 1

Possibly start with shapes. Make a circle - say, if we put 2 circles on top of eachother we get the number 8! Then joke with her and giggle - teehee - if we put 3 we get a snowman!!

Make a verticle straight line - say all by itself this is what a 1 looks like! If I add another small line at the top - it makes a 7!  If I add a small circle right at the top it makes a 9! Now watch this -- if I put a line right beside it and part of a circle below it - we get a SMILEY FACE =)

I think that these are fun ways to learn our numbers - and fun is the key to learning - because then they are learning and don't realize they are. All they know is that they're just having a lot of fun with Mom!

Stay excited and full of energy. Don't ever get frustrated - or show that you are (lol). Lots of laughter and also - in small bursts intersperced with something really fun that you know they like to do. Or a nature walk where you might try to look for the same shapes or numbers... like "oooo - doesn't that branch look like the number 7??" or "wow - that worm is shaped just like the number 5!!".

Connections like this can really hit home for the wee ones and make all the difference between work and play!

Have fun!!

Hope this helps....

Answer 2

She may not be ready for a writing utensil yet.  How does she color?  In the lines?  Not in the lines?  Does she choose other activites - other than coloring?

Try 'writing' letters other ways!

1.  Take a shallow cookie sheet and just cover the bottom with sugar.  You write the letter/number in the sugar and let her do the same.

2.  Make the letters/numbers by rolling clay 'snakes' and then manipulating them to make the correct digit.

Do other fine motor activities to get her ready for writing!

1.  use tweezers to pick up small objects (dollar stores usuallly have bags of small animals, bugs, ect. that work great for tweezers.

2.  make necklaces/put small beads on a string

3.  make a fine motor obstacle course on your child - have her button up her shirt, zip her pants, snap in her barrets, velcro her shoes, etc.  Have fun with it.

BOTTOM LINE:  give her time, she may just not be ready.  But if it becomes a big problem and your mommy flags are shooting up, then ask her pediatrician if she should be tested for a fine motor or cognitive delay - the earlier you catch these things, the easier they are to overcome!

Good Curriculum for this:  Handwriting Without Tears

God Bless!

Answer 3

Has she had any practice with just making lines and circles? If not, I would try that first and then build up to letters and numbers.

I would also try those dry erase boards that have traceable letters and numbers.

Answer 4

Dot to dot them for her to trace, and let her do it that way for a few weeks and then only dot to dot part of it. Only make her do few at a time and conquer 1 number at a time. Save the first ones and show her how much better she has done in a week or so, even on the dot to dot (actually dashes) if she is doing better on staying on them.  Also my daughter really resisted writing, and I got her the triangle shaped pencil grips and it made a huge difference, they have other ones but they can be confusing, the triangle grips are the best.

For my kids repitition is the key, it only needs to be a few a day, but it needs to be every day.

Answer 5

Tell her " It you think you can, You can!" okay. Hope it might help

Answer 6

Tracing is a great way to start.

Search the internet for tracing numbers and print out the sheets.

I would start with tracing with her fingers first, then a pencil or crayon. Then go on to her copying a number you have written.

Is she writing her name yet?

Don't be too pushy otherwise she will give up it's got to be loads of fun!

Oh and mum can do it too...with mistakes of course...don't make yours perfect otherwise she wont want to do it.

Another tip kids are always in a hurry...make sure she does it slowly!!

Good luck

Answer 7

get a bunch of scratch paper and start her off with one and tell her to do all ones on a piece of paper till its filled then do twos and so forth my niece was stubborn and that worked for me shes now in highschool and doing real well.

Answer 8

the best thing that i found with my kids is they want what they want and they want it now.If they ask for something say ok write a number for you and then they get ewhat they want.this summer i've decided when my 4 year old ask for something she'll have tospell the word with my help.It work great for me with potty training.good luck

Answer 9

I teach kindergarten and we use poems to help the children remember how to make each number.

Number 1- Straight line down and then we're done

That's the way we make a one

Number 2- Around and back on the railroad track

Two! Two! Two!

Number 3- Around the tree, Around the tree

makes a three!

Number 4- Down and over and down some more

That's the way we make a four!

Number 5- First a neck, then a tummy

Add a hat, Five sure is funny

Number 6- A line and a hoop do tricks

To make a number six.

Number 7- Across the sky and down from heaven

That's the way to make a seven

Number 8- Make an S, but do not stop

Go back up to the top

Number 9- A ball and a line

Make the number nine

Hope these help! But don't worry- she has plenty of time to learn to write her numbers!!

Answer 10

Is she comfortable when using the pencil ,is she able to hold the pencil correctly? If not then get her colouring ,painting,play dough to improve her fine motor skill.

     When she improves that start with one number at a time before making her write it explain it to her let her count the number from objects around the room, or example 1 nose ,1 mouth ,let her paint inside the letter one .use sticks to make a collage of the number 1, play with play dough to learn how the number 1 looks like ,let her write it on the board ,children find all that fun to do ,then at the end when she understand how the number 1 looks like let her write it in her book when she is confident with it  that goes with every other number and letter or anything else ,always take it easy dint push her congratulate use the words well done ,trying very hard ,show her happy expressions.

hope this works