I AM right, I know I am, please will you all come and confirm it?

[LiegeAndLief]

Ds is learning to write and is forming his number 5 like an S. I have tried to teach him to do the downstroke first, then the roundy bit, then take his pencil off the paper and go back to do the top flat bit (all very technical, hope that makes sense). This is the right way, yes?

Dh says this is madness, and he should just start with the top flat bit and continue to the downstroke and the roundy bit all in one go, so writing it just like an S but making it look like a 5 by being a bit more angular about it. Surely this is wrong? I have vague memories of being severely chastised for forming a 5 like that as a child and being told it was lazy and would look like an S. Dh convinced he is right. Neither of us will back down. We are probably scarring ds for life. I put it to you (to tell me I am right).

And yes, the long winter evenings do fly by in our house

I do that too, Unexpected, but I'm a rightie !

Stick, tummy on stick then a hat on top.

Your DH is wrong (and possibly a dufus!)

I'm with you Liege, on most things I suspect. 5 is 2 strokes.

4 is deffo an L with a stick, curvy sultry 3 and a 7 with a stripe.

I always remember being told off at school for putting a line through my 7, as it was the 'continental' way of writing it ?

And you can't do a 'straight stick' 6, it would look like a b !

You are Right.
He is Wrong.

you are right!

I'm with you OP!

but my husband says you are wrong! oh no!!!

My 5s look just like Ses. I actually can't see that it is a problem. Never held me back in maths. If there is a context in which it could be mistaken for an s then I do write it more carefully but otherwise I don't care.

I do mine by starting at the top left corner. I go right, across the top, and without taking my pen off the paper come back to the corner, then do the down and round bit.

At least your DS doesnt do it like my DH: starts at the bottom and writes UP

I was taught your way and last school I worked in it was def taught your way too - BUT, I write it your Dh's way but my writing is very sillily clear (too many years of working with children )

If my DS was making them look like an S then I would show him your way as more chance he will get it to look like a 5 then

Unlike some of the other numbers (where there are different correct ways) I think the 5 should always be 2 strokes.

OP - Why don't you post this in Primary Education. Plenty of teachers could give you a definitive answer rather than taking the opinion of uneducated fools those on the AIBU thread.

Flat top last

Showofhands, I imagine our taste in music may be pretty similar too

1 - just a straight line down unless I'm making a real effort for it too look like a 1 and not an I or an l.

I've never seen anyone who isn't French write a 9 with a curly tail.

oops - , obviously

I do it the same way as you do OP

No idea if this is right or wrong but as far as i'm concerned..

YANBU

end of :D

I do 1 stroke , it helps later with joined up writing, it is faster too, personally I think either way is fine a 5 is a 5 is a 5 which ever way its written there is no right or wrong way

I mean a 1 can look like an l ; b can look lik 6 it should be fairly obvious from context whether a 5 or an S. It does really matter in postcodes which should be in capitals and how many 6 year olds send letters when they address the envelope?

YABU.

I don't understand why it'd make a difference either way. I've just tried both methods,and my fives look exactly the same.

I was taught to do 5's the way OP does it with the hat last, I don't always write them like that now though and they quite often don't look like 5's maybe I should take more care and go back to it.

2's, curly or not? Curly
3 - flat top with a curvy bottom? or all curves? flat top with curvy bottom
4 - L with a stick or like the text 4's? L with a stick
7 - with or without a line crossing it? with a line crossing it.

But sarah what would you need to join a 5 to if you were doing joined up writing? Numbers don't join .

Definitely your DH is right.

Never heard of doing it the other way, although we were encouraged never to remove pen from paper unless necessary.

OP your way is correct!!!!

OP - your DH and loads of people on this thread are wrong.

I do the two strong (correct) method of writing a 5 and I'm right (just like you).

Also, therefore, (in case everyone is wondering) the correct way to do the following is;

2s are curly
3s all curves
4 like an L with a stick
7s are written with a line crossing through it

By the way how the heck do you write a 2 not curly?

Taught in two strokes, so that's the right way, obviously, but I'm too lazy and do it in one, trying to avoid an S shape.

When doing my physics degree I took to crossing my Zs Z to avoid confusion with a 2, very important in some of the horrendous formulae I had to learn. Looks really poncey though.

You are right - ds is taught: 'neck, fat tummy, then put his hat on' - so vertical, round bit, then new stroke, go back and do the horizontal stroke :)