Mumsnet Talk

If a 6 year old wrote the following on their own, with no assistance, no spelling mistakes etc would you think it was good for their age? I've written it below as it was written:

I saw a little girl bright and gay
dancing for the school fair in May.
She wore a Summer dress of red,
and pretty flowers around her head
She wore a pair of shoes that shone,
and as she danced she sang a song.

I'd honestly be interested to know if this is average / good / really good for the age group as I have no clue. Thanks

Honestly, why are you asking this...
What are you going to do with the information anyway?
What do you think of it?

I think it's excellent and I have a 6 year old and 2 older ones who were once six.

My daughter could do it at 6 but my sons couldn't at all.

If you honestly have no clue then she obviously doesn't get it from you!

It wasn't written by my dc, so no definitely not from me!

It was written by a friend's dc and they asked for my opinion on it - not sure why they asked me really, I'm quite academic, did well at school so maybe that's why...

Anyway, I don't and have never had a 6 yo so I really don't know whether this is average / good / exceptional. Thought other people with 6 yo might be able to give me a steer that's all.

I'd think the child lived in the 1950's. I'd be jolly surprised that a 6yo would use gay in that sense, or would write/say "...of red" .

It's very good. It's almost all comprised of simple vocabulary and in that sense not truly exceptional, but still very good. However, the first line is actually quite accomplished and I'd be surprised if a six year old could come up with it on her own unless she'd seen it used elsewhere. Bright is a term usually meant to refer to intelligence. But in this context it means lively and healthy. How would a six year old know that? And gay isn't often used to mean happy and carefree nowadays. So, all in all, I'd say it's a good effort but slightly enigmatic.

I teach P2 and there's not a single one of them who could write that.

I'd be very surprised is a 6 year old used language like that.

My five year old wrote a note to me this morning which read 'to mummy I will love love you for ever and ever even when you are dead' followed by a picture of a dead me, and a sad her. I was well impressed.

It's well constructed.

Certain expressions such as 'bright and gay' have clearly been pinched fron nursery rhymes but the child understands their meaning well enough to use them so I don't think that's a bad thing.

The child seems to have a good ear for language and the ability to construct simple poetry at that age is definitely not the norm ime

Most of it scans, which most adults wouldn't manage.

HDee

My 10 yr old DD used to write poems like that when she was about the same age.
Turns out she was memorising them from books, writing them down and pretending they were hers.

So it seems my friend's dd is an enigmatic 50's throwback!

She's definitely 6yo. Not sure where she would have learnt the words / phrasing others have referred to above. Other books, poems, TV presumably. I know she has a copy of A Child's Garden of Verses (quite old fashioned I think?).

It sounds like she's doing quite well and her interest in poetry should be encouraged.

If she's interested in reading generally I'd encourage that. Personally I think six is a bit young to start specialising in poetry.

I'd be beyond impressed as my 6 year old cannot write a word, bar his name and 'mum' and 'dad'

...Of course all children should be encouraged to take an interest in poetry. What I meant was it seems she has a flair (even if she's been "inspired" by other poems) and should be supported as much as poss.

I was actually most impressed by the absence of spelling mistakes, good grammar and very neat handwriting in straight lines (on unlined paper)!

Flair? It's difficult to say from one poem. What adults call poetry involves all kinds of techniques, emotions, experiences and knowledge of the classics.....

A child should be encouraged, certainly, but encouraged generally. She might well win junior poetry competitions if she carries on in that style. But poetry is harder to express oneself in generally than prose is. And a young child needs to develop in all areas. I'd suggest prose is better for doing this in.

I think her Mum should be really proud that she wanted to try and do it. Regardless of whether it was 'good' or not.

DD2 made up a song:

I want to see my Dad, when he's at work,
who would like to see me go.
When will I be gone by now?
Who would like an awful sound?
Yar yor yi, yaba cossa free.
Who will want to make me three?"

She didn't write it, but she made up her own tune and her own lyrics (obviously - you wouldn't get those lyrics written down anywhere ).

I was really proud of her for coming up with a varied tune, some rhyme, filling in gaps..I liked it. Who cares what it 'means' for her future? She just needs to be encouraged to enjoy doing what she does.

The fact it scans suggests to me that she has an instinctive understanding of the rhythm of language. So she will probably really love reading a variety of poetry and playing with sound in poetry and prose. I say this knowing a lot about poetry and nothing about 6 year olds! I'd be happy if it was my child because that is a great way to learn to love language.

It sounds like something she's learnt and is repeating. Have you googled it? My 4 year old would be able to repeat something like that she's heard often enough. My 6 year old could probably repeat it and write it if so inclined, probably with a few spelling mistakes, but he is just 6 . Are you sure she didn't copy it from a book?

I agree with Tgger it sounds as if she has based it on something she has read

5yo dd wrote that 'christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny etc' down on a piece of paper at school the other day. After the teacher had gushed about it, I had to break it to her that's it's an extremely well known rhyme. Spelling and metre was accurate however! I think there's probably some degree of sponge at work here. DD regurgitates all manner of stuff.

Shall I transcribe for you what dd wrote this morning as an example of a 5yo's efforts? Title is 'irregular verbs are really strange' and it comprises a list of verbs, their past participles and then a paragraph on drink/drunk/drank and a little post script about alcohol being poisonous. It's marvellous!

I think it's still great when they regurgitate stuff though . Shows they have engaged with it.

I would assume the child had copied it from somewhere.