11/29/01
Question 141
Dear Preschool
Teacher,
I'm trying to get advise about my 3 1/2 yr
olds writing ability. This is his first year in a school setting. He
knows the alphabet and can count to twenty. He can read words like
"car, exit, and truck". The problem in he cannot write the
letters. This is homework assignments sent home, so I know the other
kids are at least working on this skill. It's a fairly large class (22
students, with 1 teacher and 2 aids) I'm not sure how much special
attention he gets or if he needs it. I am afraid I push him too hard
because he gets frustrated easily. But I don't want to be to easy on
him either. I want him to try harder if he can. He recognizes the
shapes of any letter but had the hardest time writing it with a
crayon, pencil or marker. Sometime the letters come out legibly, but
most of the time, they are just a bunch of lines. His teacher suggests coloring and working with clay or other
hand activities. I don't really see how this will help to write
letters.
Pressure to Write
Dear Pressure to Write,
Sounds
like his preschool is a pretty high pressure environment! HOMEWORK???
Expecting 3 1/2 year olds to write??? I would change preschools,
especially if he seems to be under stress over these expectations!
Good luck,
Heide
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
Dear Pressure to Write,
Many times 3 year olds do not have the
muscle strength or ability to write letters. Depending on their
artistic stage of development, some children are still in pre-writing
stages, only scribbling or making circle people. Relax and let
him enjoy his early years. He will be able to write only when
his muscles are ready. Let him do small motor activities for a
while. He can try puzzles, finger painting, scribbling,
playdough, cutting with scissors (again, he may only make scraps) and
clipping on clothespins!
If you push him too much, he may rebel and
hate writing for the rest of his life. Frustration is a sign that he
is not yet ready to do a skill. When his muscle growth catches up to
his mental growth you better hide all the paper and pencils!
Jackie
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
Dear Pressure to Write,
Your son needs to strengthen the small
muscles in his hand to be able to write letters. This comes with
time and also some activities help to strengthen those muscles.
Clay, playdough, scissor use, puzzles and other small manipulatives,
pouring and measuring rice or water or other items, crayons and
coloring all serve to strengthen the small muscles of the hand, which
in turn will make forming the letters possible for your son.
Kris
P
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
Dear Pressure to Write,
I teach both 3
year olds and 4 year olds (separate classes). I don't
introduce formal writing skills to my 3 year old class (writing
letters, numbers, etc.). I feel their motor skills are not
developed enough, and they are not quite ready. With my 4
year old class, I introduce writing their name, letter of the week
and numbers of the month. Some of the kids can do this
beautifully, and some kids can hardly make a letter that closely
resembles what it should be. I praise the kids for anything
that they can do. Your son may not be ready to write yet.
Boys motor skills sometimes developed later than girls and he may
not have the strength or coordination to write. Playing with
play-doh will strength his motor skills to enable him to write.
What
is important is that you don't force him to write. He will
become frustrated, and that will make it much more difficult.
He will, in his own time, become interested in writing. He is
still very young.
Peg
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
