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Helen Dempster
22-04-2010, 04:44 PM
Hello, am just looking for some advice really. I'm trying to teach my son (who will be 4 end July) how to write his name. He only has 4 letters in his first name and has managed to grasp 2 of these, but I'm struggling a bit now. He will only sit and practice in short spurts, which is understandable, but do any of you have any advice/tips etc how you've managed in the past to get little ones to write?

Thanks guys :thumbsup:

Pipsqueak
22-04-2010, 04:53 PM
I printed the name in large large letters and laminated so that they could 'trace' over the top.


but to be honest only 1 of mine could write their name when they started school and I never pushed them. if they showed an interest in wanting to write their name I would encourage them. if not then I have left it.

they need so many skills before they can attempt to write properly and it all comes eventually.

margimum
22-04-2010, 05:01 PM
Make it fun!!
Don't just stick to pen and paper... you can' write' with any number of things ...
Forming shapes with his finger in sand, foam, glitter, paint etc
making shapes with sticks, blocks, vegetables etc.
recognising his own letters and not necessarily putting them in order or the same size is important but please don't stress about it or you may put him off completely!!
Give him a large brush and some water and let him write on the outside walls or chalk on the floor.
I also use wipe off whiteboards a lot for practice.:)
At 4 he may not be ready to physically hold a pencil and get it to move where he wants it to go!

angiemog
22-04-2010, 05:01 PM
I taught my nephew to write his this way.
First I wrote it using a high lighter pen and he then used a pencil to go over the top. I put a black dot so he knew where to start. Once he could do this with ease, I got him to copy his name from one that I had done.
Eventually I took my copy of the name away and he then could do it from memory. He has 6 letters in his name which includes a Z which took him a while to be able to do. This took about 4 months of about 5 minutes a day 3 times a week. x

miss mopple
22-04-2010, 05:02 PM
how about rather than using a pen and paper tapping into other things he likes. That could be painting it with water, running cars in paint and making them 'drive' the letters, doing it in foam/sand etc

Mookins
22-04-2010, 05:03 PM
someone gave a link for a name trace website give me 2 mins.....
http://www.maddisonworks.com/games/letters/letters.aspx

you litterally type in the word and it does it automatically

x x

mrs.h
22-04-2010, 06:01 PM
Thank you for the link, Mookins. It's fab!

Mookins
22-04-2010, 06:07 PM
Thank you for the link, Mookins. It's fab!

youre welcome...although i did get the link from someone on here so its them to thanks really

my lil girl loves it she tells me all words to print off :clapping:

The Juggler
22-04-2010, 06:14 PM
Have laminated name cards at the table. They need to see it lots so that they will want to write it. Then use these when they draw. Ask them if they want to write their name on their picture, you can use these cards and get them starting to copy the letters they see.

Get them to start to recognise the first letters and maybe 'hand out' the namecards to others. Once they are familiar with a particular letter they will probably want to start experimenting more with copying it.


But, if they are not keen just leave them to do it at their own pace as everyone has said hon.

RachelE
22-04-2010, 07:19 PM
You may find that he will just surprise you one day and just do it!

My dd was 3 last May and I had been doing it with her for a few months and she had shown no interest, then one day at 3 and half she just did it. (4 letter name)

I also mind a boy (hols only) who was 4 last Novemeber and has poor pen control. His Mum was getting worried and wanted me to concentrate on his pen control. In the last month it has just 'clicked' with him and he is far neater than my dd! (he only has a 3 letter name!)

I watched a 4 yr old girl write her name recently really neatly at toddler group and her name was Elizabeth. - I told her mum how cruel mum was and how clever the girl was at having to learn how to write 9 letters in the correct order!

He'll soon get it, dont worry!

Rachel x

Jelly Baby
22-04-2010, 07:27 PM
Hi i try to encourage my older ones to write hers when she has done a picture.
I do dot to dot and the same a someone else has said using a dot where she should start.
I let them practise over what i have written too and using other materials such as chalk, paint, water etc.

Zoomie
22-04-2010, 08:10 PM
Wanted to ask something about name writing.

Do you encourage child to write their proper name, or the name they call themselves, even though they know both ?

Ie Joe is short for Joseph ???

Both DD's and mindees names are 8 letters though can be shortened to 3 and 4 letters respectively ??

The Juggler
22-04-2010, 08:13 PM
Wanted to ask something about name writing.

Do you encourage child to write their proper name, or the name they call themselves, even though they know both ?

Ie Joe is short for Joseph ???

Both DD's and mindees names are 8 letters though can be shortened to 3 and 4 letters respectively ??

I wouldn't even worry about it being their name. Children will write or want to write about what interests them. It'll usually be those words they see most or are most familiar with. A shortened name will make the task easier though:thumbsup:

Helen Dempster
22-04-2010, 09:44 PM
Some great advice here, as usual, thanks everyone :thumbsup:

I've just printed the sheet from the link, thanks Mookins (and whoever you got it from) :D

I will definitely try the painting his name using water, as he loves this activity in general, hadn't even thought about getting him to actually write while he does it :blush:

He recognises all the letters in his name and often points them out to me, if he sees it in a sentence somewhere, or on a car number plate.

It stems from last week - a couple of my friends and their kids came to play (all the same age, in fact one boy is a month younger than my son) and they were both sitting there writing their names with no help! I felt such a failure!! I know I shouldn't have, but it really got to me, silly moo that I am. I'm not a pushy mum, he maybe 'has a go' for about a minute or two each day and when he says he's had enough, I give him lots of praise and let him go off to play.

margimum
22-04-2010, 09:54 PM
Recognising letters from his name in car number plates is great!
It is using his interests to further his skills.!
I had a child who just couldn't 'get' colours many years ago.,but could pick out different makes of cars. We used his (obsession) with cars to teach him colours, numbers, letters ...All sorts!!:laughing:
Children learn by absorbing things from all around them... I often say they learn accidently... :clapping:
Please don't compare your child to others of a similar age and do not feel a failure!! children are all different:jump for joy:

SammyM
23-04-2010, 09:30 AM
I would really careful with this, the first thing I would do is check with the school that your child is going to what type of script they use. The reason I say this is at my sons school they teach all children from nursery age how to write with cursive script (very similar to italics) and some of the letters are a lot different to normal print ie the k looks like a capital R with a tall stick!! So if your child has learnt one way (as my son did) they have to start from sctratch again. It had obviously paid off though as he has only been at school since sept and can write his full name in 'joined-up!!' - proud mommy moment!!!

sandy64
23-04-2010, 11:58 AM
hi thanks for that site saved it for later

loocyloo
23-04-2010, 01:34 PM
wow! super site! will be using that later on! i have almost 4 yr old mindee who is wanting to write his name and getting upset that its 'not right' ( think mummy has been doing it at home )

i often print out childs name several times and then cut out the individual letters so they have to put it together like a jigsaw. sometimes i print them in the wrong order, so they cut them out and stick them down ( depending upon scissor skills! )

xxx

Mookins
23-04-2010, 07:23 PM
We also use the bath crayons at bath time, great fun...she practices her "round and stops" (the letter C) and her "all the way round" l(etter o)and "all the way round with a stick up his bottom" (letter d) and a "smiley face with a tail" (letter y):blush:

it was the first things that came into my head when we first started practicing
i realise the school will be cursing me when she gets there but at least she knows :laughing:

TammyN
23-04-2010, 08:12 PM
i have come across a great site called ******.com have a look, free resources, printables on name writing, etc.

i too would focus on paint brushes, sticks in sand, chalk whatever lo likes to start with, recognition is the main step at this age!