If your child is starting school next month - can they write their own name?

[username5786]

DD is very bright in many ways so I am not concerned overall. But she is starting school next month and point blank refuses to even try writing her name. She has been able to do the first letter of her name since the age of 3 but since then will not attempt any other letter and refuses to play any letter games I try.
My concern is in all the getting ready for school checklist it seems to be the one of the few things they expect.

I just wondered if everyone else's children can write or at least recognise their own name. I don't think it's helping I have a couple of mum teacher friends whose DC can already read.

DS1 got a birthday card from the class early in the year and I would say only a handful of the older kids including DS could write their name legibly. It is a very boy-heavy class though. DS only got into writing during that summer. He got exceeding for writing at the end of the year.

My DS can't write his name - but then again we haven't really practised!

He doesn't have much interest in wanting to write it and I haven't pushed it.

He can recognise his name, and at a push write the first letter if I write it first.

I wouldn't be worried at all, that's what school is for, and when they are ready they will pick it up :)

DD can but it’s only 3 letters. She refuses to accept that capital I and lower case i are the same letter however so she doesn’t recognise her name in caps 🤦🏽‍♀️

Mine could but I put a lot of effort into teaching them and (crucially!) they were willing to learn.

If your DD doesn't want to learn to do it at home just leave it. She will learn soon enough at school and she won't be the only one who can't do it at the start.

None of mine could read when they started - it's fine! They are all well educated young adults/teens now!

Our DD is going into reception. She can write in full sentences and is a level 3 reader. Our other DD, who is 7, has handwriting that is completely illegible and still gets letter round the wrong way in her own name! Every kid is different, don't worry. It will all even out in the end

I have 3 DCs, the youngest of which is about to start reception. None of them have been able to write their names before starting school. I think teachers would much rather that children have personal care skills, such as dressing themselves and being able to go to the toilet independently over academic skills, that way they can actually concentrate on teaching.

DD could, but she liked to sit and draw and colour etc.
DS couldn't and had to be bribed with the largest bribe on offer to even pick up a pencil. Could recognise his name, but we had put their names on their bedroom doors so they always saw it. We checked using the smartie trick. Wrote a list of 5 words, he picked his name out, got a smartie. Started with ones totally different to his name and then added some starting with the same letter, having the same unusual letter in etc.

Yes, he can write his full name. They used to practise at nursery every morning last term but he likes drawing and writing and although he often confuses d and b he's pretty good on the writing front.

Is the getting ready for school checklist from the school?

I work in a school and lots of the reception children can't write their name on entry, some can recognise their name, some know the first letter. There will be lots of work done on this in class - I really wouldn't worry. You'll probably find DD is happy to do letter games which help her practise in class that she would refuse to do with you at home!

Also definitely don't worry about the reading. That's what school phonics teaching does! She doesn't need to be reading yet

My first DC could with ease, my second could barely hold a pencil (both summer born boys). Youngest is about to go into year 1 and his name writing is lovely now, he is also proficient at writing the word ‘poo’

School didn’t notice that he was left handed for a ridiculous amount of time though.

Just about but she colours in all the circles On the letters so it looks quite strange! She sometimes misses a letter out as it’s quite long. She can write her brother’s name which is much simpler!

Recognising name is very useful, to find peg etc. Writing it not so much although DD had been tracing it in nursery.

Concentrate on name recognition, shoes, doing clothes independently, eating with correct implements and managing water bottle (I strongly recommend one where the bit your mouth touches is covered!) and maybe carrying a tray!

Mine could but only because she learned how to at pre-school. I wouldn't have even thought to teach it at home, I assumed they learned in Reception.

I think at the start it is only important they can recognise their own name, for knowing which is their peg or book.

Neither of mine could. Now they hover between meeting/exceeding expectations in all areas. Honestly, the school will teach them, don't worry. My elder used to literally hand the pen to me and say "you do it mummy" when I asked her to write or draw anything until she was well into her reception year!

My now 15 year old couldn't, she could do a very poor attempt at her first letter.

Errrm he thinks he can if that counts!

None of my could. Oldest is a teen and can write well now
Honestly, it’s fine. She’s just a baby. We really need to raise school starting age!

No need to raise school starting age, pretty clear from the posters that all children are different. I would generally agree that most children level out fairly soon and small life skills come in handy.

Having worked in schools I can reassure you it varies hugely.
Some can write their full name and the alphabet etc while others can’t recognise or write any letters or their name at all. But they all learn at their own pace. Best thing you can do is read with them often.

I also have a child who is very unwilling to learn how to write (though starting school next year). I sometimes worry about it, then remind myself...

My husband couldn’t even speak English when he started school. He’s now incredibly successful.

Being able to write doesn’t define success. The skill is in what words you put on a page.

Both me and my husband are senior in our fields. The successful people we know are not the most studious/intelligent. They are the people with the most confidence and emotional intelligence generally.

My child’s nursery teacher said that the expectation was that they write their names by the end of a year.

A teacher once said that if children can write before they start school, she generally spends the first year correcting their bad practice.

No, not really and I'm not overly into pushing him into it either! It will come!

Neither of mine could. Neither could write anything at all, not even numbers, and I don't think they could read anything either. And one of them was already 5 when they started school.

Child 1 got A* in both English gcses and A at A level and is now doing an English and Creative writing degree. Child 2 got a 9 in both English gcses.

So don't fret about it.

My eldest could my youngest who is about to go into year 1 can't write very legibly now but we think he might have dyspraxia. Even if they can write their own name it's unlikely they will be writing the letters the way they will be taught to once they're at school.

DS2 starts next year and can do it now. However, he will probably be down to the wire on the various other school readiness skills listed, if he gets them down. Swings and roundabouts.