"3.5year old boy cannot write is this a cause for concern"?

Question

He can recognize the letters and numbers but tracing them is a chore; also coloring within the lines in pictures

Answer 1

Not to worry.  Many children do not have the ability to write their names properly until the middle of kindergarten, which is typicall 5-6 years old.  Coloring and writing is a fine motor skill and these skills take time to master.  Keep allowing him the opportunity to practice, but be sure to encourage, not critisize his work!

Answer 2

you should not be concerned because my cousin nick hes 3.6 and he cant write yet and like my grandma said they'll do it when there ready

Answer 3

Nope. He's not developmentally there yet. This is normal. Sure, some kids start writing and reading that young, but it's pretty rare. Keep playing with him, reading to him, allowing him to scribble, and minimize or eliminate TV time. He'll be fine.

Pushing a young child to do something they are not developmentally prepared for frustrating for the parent and child, and takes time away from other things you could be doing together. There are tons of books available with fun activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers. Or, you can search online for free ideas.

Most children who are "ahead" in the preschool years even out with their peers in elementary school. There is a school of thought that you can sit your toddler down and drill them with flashcards to make them brilliant. This theory is thought of as utter hogwash by most early education specialists, as well as psychologists and neurologists. When kids are forced to learn a new skill before they are developmentally ready, it either disappears or is learned in a different part of the brain than it would be if they waited until they were ready. Reading is a prime example of this.

For example, you could sit down with your 3 1/2 year old for 20 minutes a day for quite some time and teach them how to read a clock. They would eventually get it. If you did nto reinforce that skill, it would be forgotten. Think of all of the wasted time that could have been spent on nature walks or reading stories together! If you wait until that child is older, it will take about 10 minutes to explain how a clock is read. It's not like the kid is going to need to keep track of his appointments at 3 or 4 years old.

I understand the desire to enhance your child's learning, but all he really needs is a safe, loving environment with stimulating toys and activities (as well as plenty of downtime to relax and explore on his own) to flourish to his full potential.

Answer 4

Nope.  One good thing to try is "sky-writing", where he holds his arm straight and practices writing letters and numbers with large movements.

You could also try putting sand or sugar on a cookie sheet and having him trace with one finger.  Numbers 1-10 and just the letters of his name are a good starting point.

Any fun activity that helps with fine motor skills will eventually help him with writing.  Another one my boys liked was picking up cotton balls with chop sticks.  It's funny, but in no time they were better at it than I am!

Answer 5

Not a problem. By the time kids start kindergarten they might know the letters in their own names. He will be fine.

Answer 6

are you serious..? the more 'early academics' people shove down their kids throats these days, the less 'real' our society is becoming. whatever happened to allowing our kids to develop at a pace they can deal with without the stress. 3.5 yrs old.. my god lady, get a grip.

Answer 7

I just started working with this age group at a daycare. I see kids who are even 4 or 5 who can't write. I don't think you need to be concerned yet. Just keep working on it with him.

Answer 8

Perfectly normal; his muscle development and fine motor skills just plain aren't there yet.  That, and he may just plain not care about writing yet :-)  Boys often mature in this a bit slower than girls...not always of course, but often.  

Just be sure to praise him in what he does well, and don't make a big deal out of the writing and coloring.  My son was exactly the same way, and a girl told him that he wrote like a baby when he was 4...I finally got that out of him when he was nearly 8.  Between those ages, he decided that he would never learn to write well, so he just refused to do it.  I can't say his writing is the best I've ever seen now at 9.5, but it's a lot better :-)

What you're describing is perfectly normal.  He'll develop at his own rate as he gets older.

Answer 9

ive been teaching for 4 years now. he is not developmentally ready to write. he has to develop his fine motor( hand muscles) first. dont push him, ull just frustrate him. when he's ready he will write. let him use the crayons everyday and color how ever he wants. have him use his hands as much as possible to develop those muscles.

Answer 10

Of course he is fine.  His fine motor skills haven't developed yet.  Do activities with him like stringing small beads, snipping paper, or working 5-6 piece puzzles.  He just needs more practice.

Answer 11

Don't stress.  You are doing a fine job.  He is 3 his job right now is to play and have fun and guess what?  He'll learn while he does that.  Have him make alphabet letters out of play-do snakes and then let him just play with the play-do (kneading is great for fine motor skills).  We did a lot of playing with fuse beads (little plastic beads that you carefully set on a peg board into a pattern and then mom irons them to make them last) and the light bright was popular in our house too.  Another great learning activity is cooking..let him help measure and stir, then you are getting math and fine motor.  Most important part is to find something that will help develop those hand muscles that he enjoys...don't make it work  he is only 3.

Answer 12

Absolutely not. It will take several more years. At age 6 he may be able to write but you still may not be able to read it. Do scissor exercises with him, tweezers, tongs, pouring have him use things like this to help develop his dexterity and muscles. Be patient, he's perfectly normal and not at all ready to write.

Look up montessorri pre-writing exercises on Google.

Answer 13

He is 3 1/2  and has a year or more of pre K  If he is not in a program  try to get him in one.   But remember  he just may be a   child when it comes to pictures.

Our 4 year old would not color in the lines reason I have allot of art work sold I do not stay in lines either.  

He will not write his letters  reason  was not ready to  but we had him check out by a pre school  They gave us a reason he is to young in his thinking .At   4  1/4  he writes his name and paints  in the box   Ready for school  NO boys are a little slower than girls  at this age  

Take it easy he just a boy and not a computer

Answer 14

boys are always slower than girls, it's natural because I have a 4 almost 5 year old brother, and he still can't even talk or write/. It takes 3x more time for a  boy to exceed everything that a girl probably recognize at the age of 2.