that teaching namewriting in nursery is just wrong

[BrexitentialCrisis]

It just gets on my tits.

3 year old is being asked to trace his name with a board pen onto a laminated template and sound out the letters. Every day. He hates it and it apparently takes him many minutes to do it, but he has to before he is allowed to go and play. His grip is all over the place and he says it hurts him. But his name is realllly long and the letters don't look like they sound. I'm a teacher and I really disagree with the way it's being done but don't want to sound like an arse if I flag it up. I've overheard the teacher talking about how ofsted recommended they do it so that kids are ready to write in reception. I don't want my son to learn about writing this way.
Whatever happened to painting with water on patios, threading, drawing in shaving foam and all those other fun pre-writing techniques? It's all just so lame. I just need to man up and complain don't I?

[steppemum]

and developmentally, until he can draw a person as 2 circles with eyes and mouth and put arms on the body (not the head) then he cannot conceptually differentiate between an 'a' and 'b', and an 'n' and an 'h' and so they are not ready to write. Really gets my goat that this simple developmental chekc is so unknown today. Basic child development

what total twaddle. 4/5 of my children could recognise their alphabet LONG before they could draw people.

It isn't twaddle at all. It is not to do with recognition, it is to do with being able to reproduce that ON PAPER. And, it is very well recognised if you have done any child development for that age, that until you can reach a certain level of drawing, it is very hard to write the difference between these letters.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

DS learnt to recognise his name in preschool (2.5 - 3.5), then started tracing it in nursery. Now in reception they just find their names.

[steppemum]

There used to be a lovely thread on Mn made by someone who was an occupational therapist.

It listed about 20 activities to improve fine motor skills, and pre-writing skills.
None of them involved a pencil.

Things like playing with pegs, making peas with playdough and so on.

[herecomesthsun]

My daughter was very proud to be able to write her name age 3, but my son would not have been able to do that, he struggled with the fine motor aspects of writing. Horses for courses. I was very sorry that my son did not enjoy writing more, my DH was very keen that we did not push him too early and put him off however. We are encouraging DD with the writing because she enjoys it

[Alanna1]

You say you are a teacher? Why don't you do those pre-writing techniques at home? I'm going to use them! - they sound fun. We mainly use chalk but water sounds fun. And foam... Not so sure. Though we write names in bath paint so maybe that's similar.

Every child is different. You know uour son best and sounds like he isn't ready. But others are - My 3 year old (who is just 3) loves writing her name, and recognising it. But forcing your son doesnt sound right. My 4 year old (not yet at school) is reading basic words and copying sentences like happy birthday love (name). She loves doing this too.

[herethereandeverywhere]

DD1 could write short sentences at age 4. DD2 is 4 and will start school in September. She cannot write her name, she can just about manage the 1st letter, though not consistently. She did draw a face once but insisted it was a potato...

She is however far more advanced at gross motor skills and is better than her older sister at several activities (riding a bike/throwing/catching/climbing and agility).

If she's still struggling age 7 I'll worry, otherwise I'm happy for her to scribble and then wander off to leap off the sofa. It just doesn't mean anything at this young age, the get there in the end.

[SpoonintheBin]

I think yanbu. Speak to the teacher and tell her that what she is doing is counter productive and will teach your son to hate writing.

Do it your own way at home. Nurseries are not compulsory. I am a child minder - have been for ten years - and I can say that some children are ready to write their names at 3 and others are not, but forcing a child that age to 'earn' playtime is contrary to Ofsted guidelines

[NotCitrus]

Dd is 4 in a school nursery and they are taught to recognise their name and 'sign in' by sticking their name card up on a board, and the odd bit of encouragement to draw the letters in their name, but otherwise it's all general working on fine motor skills in fun ways.

Dd has a short name and will draw it, so the letters look like circles with lollipop sticks and tails, and this is apparently quite good - in Reception they'll learn how to form letters correctly and nudged to do so.

I'd complain that a nursery child had to do anything 'educational' before playing (but also ask the teacher for their view, what with 4yos being totally unreliable witnesses. Mine swears blind she never gets any pudding because the teacher always eats it all...)

[ThisIsDedicatedToTheOneILove]

Speak to the teacher and tell her that what she is doing is counter productive and will teach your son to hate writing

She probably already knows this and agrees with it herself.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

Dd has a short name and will draw it, so the letters look like circles with lollipop sticks and tails, and this is apparently quite good - in Reception they'll learn how to form letters correctly and nudged to do so.

I have a feeling the reception teacher may disagree. It might be better to teach correct letter formation from the start, rather than have to undo what they've learnt later. If she's interested in writing her name, it might be the best time to correct it.

[CatHerdingForKicks]

I'm not sure the question should be is it "unreasonable" or not, but is it in any way useful to the children, including the ones it's coming easily to?

I personally believe children should lead their education for as long as possible and should be given choices, my youngest used to have to find her printed name at reception and put it in the bucket but it wasn't anything forced and obviously the children that struggled could hold back till there were less names to choose from.

I'd be livid if my child was coming home upset from anywhere at that age... 😢

[bakeoffcake]

I used to work in early year, 3 and 4 year olds should NOT be tracing their names over and over again. There are many activities they should be doing including painting, threading beads, sand and water play using containers, "drawing", anything to develop their gross and fine motor skills.

[roundtable]

Depends whether they are ready/interested too.

My 4 year old is at preschool and they've just introduced a 'name' book for the children off to reception in September. He loves it and shows it to everyone and wants to write in it at home every night. However, if he wasn't keen - I wouldn't want it forced and I don't force him to do it at home.

3 is far too early unless they're asking to do it imo another primary school teacher here.

[LittleNelle]

She probably already knows this and agrees with it herself.
So why would she do it then?

YANBU OP

It's poor practice. There's absolutely nothing in the EYFS curriculum about tracing names repeatedly.

There are loads and loads of gross and fine motor activities, listening and sound discrimination, early literacy activities that are enjoyable and useful for three year olds to be doing in preparation for learning to read and write that he could be doing instead.

[Stillwishihadabs]

Can I ask if he is a just 3 school entry 2017 or a nearly 4 school entry 2016 if the later then I think it's ok, if the former probably not.

[hazeyjane]

Fundemantally I think yabu. The nursery has to follow the early years programme

Fundamentally they are not following the early years programme.

[TiggyD]

They're trying to get him to do something before he's got the skills needed to do it.
You can't write before you can control a pencil well.
You can't control a pencil until you can grip and manipulate fiddly things.

The nursery isn't very good. Ask them if what they're doing is "learning through play"?

[Totallywingingit88]

The way in which they are being forced doesn't sound good.. However My LO attends school nursery, she's 4 next month but for quite a while now has been able to write and spell her own name as well as other basic words like dog cat etc and basic addition 2+1 more that kind of thing. I'm always asking her if she's done any reading or writing at nursery and has she learnt any new words. The children write their own names next to a picture of themselves as sort of a register everyday. I fully expected nursery to be teaching her far more than I was but this definitely isn't the case, and to be honest I'm kind of disappointed. ..Maybe I'm a pushy parent?!

[Narp]

I agree with Abecedario

OP are you sure they don't do any of the other things you mention?

[kimhp]

I'd love my sons nursery to teach him this. He's also three. It concerns me he doesn't grip properly and i feel as though he could be a bit slow on the English side of things. Nothing wrong with a bit of "old fashioned" learning in my personal opinion.


Ps I'm 29

[AlwaysWashing]

I don't think you are BU at all. My DS2 is 3.6 and cannot even write the first letter of his name - well he can but it's backwards so doesn't count! DS2 attended the same nursery, entered reception at 4.6 able to do what was required. Clearly early years learning was carried out at nursery but very subtly. I would definitely be speaking up about your concerns.

[allegretto]

I think that anything that turns a child off writing is obviously not having the desired effect. My twins are 6 1/2 and still haven't started to learn to read and write - same as my older son and he is not behind at all now he is 11. There is no benefit to starting early.

[Tootles7]

If it is a mandatory activity OP then yes they are doing it wrong! Take it up with them and take it higher if you don't get satisfaction.

Speaking as a qualified early years worker I can categorically say nursery is NOT about getting your child ready for school - yes some of what we do will aid that transition and that's great.

However look at these children - they've only been on the planet for 3-5 years, what have they learnt so far and what do they still need to learn to help them function well as people? They will spend most of their time at nursery developing social and emotional skills, starting to figure out how friendships work and hopefully building up their self-esteem, problem solving, fine/gross motor skills.

Don't speed up childhood parents, don't put such anxiety on your child's head before they even start school or yes you are being a pushy (although no doubt loving) parent :)

[hz]

You are definitely not being unreasonable, if I were you I'd be in there like a shot telling them my child will not be taking part in this activity unless they actually want to. It's developmentally inappropriate and likely harmful to force a child of this age to try and write. Some children want to and that is fine. Forcing a child at this age who is not ready means their first experience of writing is all about failure. Make it stop immediately. I teach in an OFSTED outstanding nursery and we would NEVER do this, the EYFS definitely does not require it. He should be simply enjoying mark making in any ways that interest him whether that is pushing a car through paint, using tools in a sand tray, painting at an easel - whatever! He also needs to develop his fine motor skills so his fingers have the strength and co ordination to hold a pencil when he is ready - playing with peg boards, Duplo, any small fiddly toys - basically a hundred ways that's is, and should be to him, just playing! Rant over. please do speak to your nursery and if they don't get it I would seriously consider moving him to somewhere that understands child development.

[eyebrowse]

Under Labour pre school was learning through play. All this forced learning is from the conservatives. The idea is that disadvantaged children are already behind by school age so learning in preschool in theory would help them catch up. However this is entirely the wrong approach. In preschool children need to learn life skills e.g. concentration on any task, being able to speak clearly, toilet training, sharing and taking turns.

The nursery my dc went to did not do any of this pre learning stuff but the schools the children went on to said their children were much more prepared for school than children from other nurseries