please don't shout at me... what are the normal parameters for writing in a 6 year old boy

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

SO DS1 has just turned 6.

I am not pushing him just encouraging him to do the homework set.

what is the minimum/maximum expected of a 6 year olds writing skills
allowing for the majority of children to be somewhere in between.

so for example is it expected that with the exception of special needs children that a 6 year old would be expected to be able to

write their name
write sentences
write on a line ie not all over the place
letters the same size or not

etc.

thanks

[Disenchanted3]

My DS is 6 in December,

he writes his name, he can write a simple sentance, possibly with help.

He can write on a line but his letters are still all different sizes.

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

thanks Disenchanted3

[Disenchanted3]

Are you concerned about your DS writing?
At 6 I really wouldn't be tey are all still very early on in the learning stages!

[weblette]

DS2 turned 6 in March.

He can write his name, and simple sentences - with some very wacky spelling

Letter sizes are very variable, usually round about the line.

Punctuation? What the heck's that

He was very reluctant to write initially but has got the hang of it in the last few months - he's also started colouring in stuff voluntarily recently.

My ds1 was much quicker to pick it all up but at 8 is now having to work much harder at his handwriting.

[Eglu]

DS2 is 6, and in Scottish P2, the same as English Y1.

He can write his name. He can write short stories, about 8 sentences or so. His letter sizes are often not great, it is something he is currently working on.

[Disenchanted3]

Actually, thinking about it they don't bring much home on writing.

The homework is always other stuff, not writing.

They seem to focus more on reading but they may cover it more in class so I don't know.

[cupofcoffee]

My ds will be 6 at start of August. He writes his name, struggles with sentences - needs a lot of help with these. He often writes letters backwards like a mirror image. I asked his teacher about the backwards writing and she said it is common during the early years and only if he is still doing it at age 7-8 would they start to question if he has specific problems with his learning.

[weblette]

IME they don't do enough at ds's school. There's one focused handwriting session a week in Y1 which might be fine for those who've got to grips with letter formation but is certainly not enough for the large number who haven't.

At home we've started really encouraging the colouring in as well as dot-to-dots, we monitor his grip when he works and get him to write silly sentences.

[mustrunmore]

ds1 never gets homework; kind of a school 'policy', but from what he does at home/what I see at parents evening...

He sometimes writes the odd letter backwards still
He can write endlessly if the fancy took him, but he doesnt seem to see any use in having vowels in words
He writes on the lines very well, but not many spaces between words
He would rather draw than write
He writes much better when left to his own devices, eg in his bedroom, than under duress!

[Lancelottie]

Can't remember. I do though have a cherished notebook from Year 1 which says, in big wobbly letters,

ZpelIngz

[kitkat1967]

My DS is 6 (yr 1) and can write stories, poems etc. using sentences - he has done a lot on descriptive work and recently connectives. If I remember correctly last year (yr R) was about capital letters and full stops and this year to start each sentence with a different word and using other types of punctuation (speech marks being very popular!!)
His actual writing is quite big but all the letters have to be correctly formed and are generally the same size, and it looks like they are ready for joined up writing.
Like most kids if he has to write on blank paper it all slopes down to the right!!

If you are trying to gauge upper and lower levels it may help to know that DS is in the top literacy group in his class and is a nominated 'writer' for their topic groups - I believe this means that when they do group work he does the writing on white boards etc. for his group. He is also a naturally good speller which helps.

Hope this helps, and my personal view is boys writing does not have to be any different to girls writing of the same age - in fact in our house my DS is streets ahead of where DD was at the same age.

[Eglu]

Forgot to mention in my post that DS1 gets no writing homework at all.

[redskyatnight]

DS has just turned 6. He can write his own name and write sentences that are correct phonetically (but not that decipherable to the casual reader). He has recently learnt to leave spaces between words and mostly uses full stops and capital letters. His letters are very uneven in size and he tends not to write in a straight line (even if the paper has lines).

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

thanks ladies, this is really comforting.

DS1 is in a mixed class of year 1 & 2's (he is in yr1) and he is amongst children who write very neatly on the line, legible, good sentence construction etc.

he writes with enthusiasm which delights me, BUT letter sizes are all over the place and the line seems to mean nothing to him.

I was thinking of encouraging him to write some of his notes that he leaves round the house on this paper but I don't want to in anyway knock his enthusiasm

what do you think?

[OtterInaSkoda]

In all honesty I'd let him be - I'd be worried about putting him off.

Having said that ds (age 9) has only just started writing with any kind of fluency at all and it still takes him a good 5 minutes to write a shortish sentance

So from where I'm sat, your ds is some kind of calligraphical (is that a word?) prodigy

[BooKangaWonders]

I've talked to our INCO about ds writing (yr 2, old in yr) and she's not at all worried. Said that most boys don't develop a good style til yr 6! Unlike those girls who love Hama beads and intricate things and develop a good style maybe around yr 4.

But ds and I practice handwriting every morning - max 3 mins. LIttle and often and I can see some progress. But other than that, it's pointless trying to get him to write anything as he doesn't want to! Unlike dd who loves writing stories, invitations, birhtday cards, shopping lists etc etc!

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

thanks otter

kanga would you use the paper thing I linked to or just practice with ormal paper?

[BooKangaWonders]

Our INCO photocopied sheets of cursive writing. She'd got it from Amazon, but the whole package was >£30...

[Oblomov]

ds, was 6 in feb, can do all those things. can writwe a few sentences. sometimes its quite neat, same size letters, sometimes its just awful. teacher says normal. girls are much better. much neater. teacher says not to worry. not to practice.
but we have had a little go. i mean about 5 times since xmas. not every week or day !!
i watched and correct the letter formation on a few of his letters.
yesterday, he wrote a sentence about :
wane roney will score a gol in world cup.
i laffed and laffed. dh loved it.

please don't worry.

[BetsyBoop]

the thread title jumped out at me as we had a fascinating talk at my DD's (4yo) nursery last night by an occupational therapist all about "mark making" and writing

To sum up 2hrs in a few sentences....

Hands don't fully develop until around 7yrs old.
If you haven't got the fine motor skills necessary, you won't be able to write well.
To develop the fine motor skills you need strong posture etc first.
Too much stress on early writing in this country (cf other countries) often creates future problems.
More boys than girls have problems (80/20 split).
Don't worry about writing - concentrate on mark making and developing the fine motor skills first and the rest will follow quickly once the child is able.

It made a lot of sense to me.

I've nothing to link to from the lady who did our talk last night, but I have found this which covers a lot of the same ground.

[ILovePlayingDarts]

DS is 6 (Yr 1) and is learning to write cursive style.

Cursive (joined up writing) is an element of KS1 SATs, apparently, and a child is unlikely to achieve Level 3 unless they are able to do cursive writing.

DS is getting frustrated, but I'm encouraging simple practice at home.

[Ineedsomesleep]

I've read this thread with interest too as my DS was 6 recently and has terrible writing, but then so do me and DH

He is good at reading and numeracy but his writing isn't good. Not on the line, letters of different sizes and often forgetting spaces.

School have said not to worry (I think they've seen my writing) and have said, as he is so good at reading the writing will come. One thing he is good at is punctuation.

So I am right in thinking that this is normal or should he be doing better?

[OtterInaSkoda]

Ineedsomesleep, I wouldn't worry unduly. honestly I believed that ds was going to have serious problems when he starts secondary in a couple of years and that he'd have to use a laptop.

I'm not saying we're out of the woods, but his sudden grasp of handwriting has been amazing and I really think he'll be up to speed within a year. Cursive writing is way easier than printing for him, btw.

It would be an idea to concentrate on activities using Plasticine etc to improve hand strength but don't worry too much. Ds enjoys tracing pictures of cars and I think that's helping, too.

[Chandon]

Hello, I am a parent helper who helps with writing for Y1 and Y2 children (age 5-7) at the local primary.

In my experience, it varies HUGELY, enormously.

Girls tend to write better and neater, and at a younger age.

Most 6 year old boys do not write letters of the same size (!).

Neither do they write "on" the line.

Most have trouble writing a sentence, separating words, most don´t use capitals or full stops.

Most parents who are not used to 6 year old boys writing, cannot decipher any of it.

A lot still mix up "d" and "b"

Most boys that age do not enjoy writing much as an activity. Girls often do.

towards 7-8 it suddenly gets a lot better.

hth!