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?

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

I'm not familiar enough with the new EYFS, but I do know that a lot of HT's want "more literacy" and "more evidence of writing" in nursery.

I know of a few schools that do this.

So she'll be doing it because SLT have told her to. Not because she wants to.

And SLT will have told her to because of top down pressures from government.

I'm in Ireland, so we have a different system, but here my 3.5 year old hasn't been introduced to the concept of formal writing. In nursery, he learns the alphabet and numbers, and is shown what they look like, but nobody expects him to write.

At his developmental check a few weeks ago, he was asked to draw a circle. The nurse said all he was required to show was he could draw something attempting a closed loop.

He, however, does do a huge amount of play that is designed to help build pre-writing skills and hand-strength:
writing/messing in shaving foam
jelly play
threading beads
playing with tinned spaghetti (picking it up, moving it around)
linking coloured clothes pegs
lacing games
playdough - squashing and rolling it out
sandplay

Next year, when he's in pre-school he'll do much more about understanding letters and numbers (sandpaper cut outs are used), but he'll also do more things like spooning rice from one bowl to another, moving water from one container to another using a dropper, moving things using tweezers etc. Still, he won't write. His pencil grip will be worked out, and he'll draw lines to match number etc, but there's no expectation of him to write his name. If he does, great. If he doesn't no bother.

I don't get what the rush is. If a child can write their name at 3, then great, but if not, that's okay too. It's far better for a child to have the right foundations (hand strength, proper pencil grip, etc), than to just focus on the end result.

I think it's great they start to practise but it has to be fun! Start with their initial which they could trace in glitter, sand, dirt make from junk etc ....

Anthony Bryce Clegg is your friend OP! Google or on Pinterest.

There are many, many pre writing muscles that should and need to be developed before children are able to hold a pencil comfortably. They need to develop their shoulder muscles and associated pivot, then onto elbow and wrist pivot before they can be expected to hold a pencil in a pincer grip comfortably and firmly enough to reproduce letters, particularly making anticlockwise movements.

This is particularly true of boys.

The nursery should be providing a variety of activities to help children develop these muscles ALONGSIDE opportunities to mark make letter sounds. Not allowing your son to play before he's written his name is not the right way to approach this.

I'm an early years teacher and mother of an almost 3 year old boy. Exposure to sounds and writing opportunities at 3 is unfortunately a necessary evil in order to prepare children for the rigours of reception. If they begin reception without being able to pay least form some letters of their name they will have a very steep hill indeed to climb in order to achieve the Early Learning Goal at the end of their Reception year.

A combination of gross and fine motor activities (fun and creative!) and opportunities to form letters in a variety of contexts is the best way forward.

Can't recommend 'ABC' enough, have a Google or lose a few hours on Pinterest!

Yabu in that he's being taught to form letters. But they Abu in making it so formal with not being allowed to do other things until they've done the 'work'. Mine have been at preschool since they were 2 and they've just turned 4. They've done mark making, scribble, painting, colouring. Tracing shapes, making patterns in sand/rice/shaving foam. Any number of ways of encouraging things like how to hold a pencil type object and make a shape without just sitting with them at a table with some paper.

They are allowed, with exceptions at certain times, to move freely between the various activity tables. Mostly mine appear to be helping excavate a massive hole in the playground grass area.

Here in Germany I actually got told off because my DD started could write her name when she started at 3 (her name only has 4 letters and they are some of the easiest ones to write :o )

Then they decided it was OK because she can draw well.

This sounded utterly mad to me.

However it isn't.

The thinking behind it is that if you push children to write before they have the fine motor skills to do it you will make them frustrated and destroy their self confidence. They will hate writing and think they can't do it because their results are not to their own satisfaction.

It is true I think.

Comparing children love writing and can write lots at 3 with children who hold a pencil like a spear and are stressed out by writing at 3 is like comparing apples and oranges.

Nurseries should be encouraging the first group of children gently (whilst mostly letting them play and learn social and self care and self regulation skills) and they should be doing the same for the second group - but the second groups should be being encouraged to mark make and enjoy it, maybe to play with wooden letters or trace letters in sand - they should absolutely not be being forced to do the task OP describes.

TBH though if kids want to learn to write their names at 3 or 4 they just will - DD taught herself at 3, DS2 taught himself at 4 (and taught himself to read and write quite a lot of other stuff by playing SIMS - slack mother of DC3 blush) but DS2 didn't really write his name til he was 5 and didn't read or write anything else til he started school at nearly 7 - he has quite good handwriting now at nearly 9.

Yanbu
I'm an early years teacher and your nursery sounds pants
We don't teach writing at all unless ihe child is ready
We do lots of work on press writing skills
That involves using large arm movements that start with the shoulders such as
Swings
Rope ladders
Climbing trees
Painting with paint brushes and water in vertical surfaces
Chalk boards
Dancing with ribbons and pompons
Parachute play
Etc
We then move on to developing hand and wrist movements such as
Duplo
Jigsaws
Pouring with jugs
Play dough
Digging in sand
Malleable play such as bloop, shaving foam, clay etc
Etc

We then move on to developing the pincer grip by providing large tweezers in all areas
Doug disco
Threading
Lego
Etc

All the time giving them access to plain paper and a variety of writing implements that they can choose to access when they want
We never do tracing or force them to do writing. The bones in their hands are not firmed till 6 or 7 and forcing brush to sit and do writing does more harm than good. It cause them to develop bad habits that cannot necessity unlearned

Our children do very well once at school because of the preparation we put in to prepare them

Lots of children begin Reception not forming any letters from their name and make the Early Learning Goal - being ready to write is much more useful than being able to trace a letter.

I'm sorry about the typos

I have no idea what DD does at daycare, mostly just messes about I expect she writes her name on all her drawings but she learnt that at home, from copying me (when she was 4 I think, she's 5 now) but there seems to be very little mark making or anything like that, its almost entirely free play and I love that. Always see the children concentrating fully on carrying around buckets of water or sand outside or digging in the sand when I pick her up or drop her off.

Of course being ready to write is important. If that comment was aimed at my post, I'm not sure what you're getting at.
Tracing is not something I commented on. I do believe that being able to copy a couple of letters from a model when they begin reception does get them off to a good start. Particularly if they are able to make anticlockwise movements.
Many years of early years teaching have brought me to this conclusion.

Wow thank you all so much!
It's such a debate.

I actually asked to stay and see him write his name today, just to see it in action. It is truly hideous and seemed to take aaaaages- he was sat with a whiteboard pen and his little hand was manipulated into the correct grip. He was then talked through every letter, although they let him go after letter number 4. He clearly has no idea what the point of it is, and the worst thing is that he then had to rub it all out straight after so that the template is 'ready for tomorrow'. He is only just three, surely this can't be right. Tbf the teacher looked v unconvinced when she was talking me through it today (she's quite new) but the battleaxe ta who remembers teaching my husband was adamant it's the right thing to do.

We went to a meeting at school before DS started in Reception (aged 4). The teacher was saying, 'if your child can already read and write, we'll continue to develop them, but it doesn't matter if they don't write at all yet...'

DS and his friend were leaning on the seat of the chair in front of me, writing 'poo' and 'wee' on some paper I'd brought... I wanted to ask, 'what if they can write, but only rude words?!'

Good God...I taught my ds to write his name when he was 3. He could write his numbers up to 10 aswell. If you don't want him to learn at nursery, then do it yourself at home. Don't leave everything to the teachers, they'll have 30 children to help. Take some responsibility in your child's education fgs

Dd is 4 and at nursery. She can't write her name yet - just the initial c. But I have to say most 4yo can. I'm not sure about 3yo. That does seem young.

Hey?!
The op isn't saying she wants the nursery to teach them to write at all.

At this stage children should be enjoying play that develops fine motor skills, enjoying mark making, and learning through play, not being made to sit and write. If they enjoy writing and forming letters - great, let them explore and develop.

Forcing a child's grip into a 'correct' grip is really awful.

Wake up I actually find your comment really offensive- I am trying todo the right thing in educating him properly and this is why I am seeking advice and discussing it. No need to lower the tone!

Honestly I would tell the nursery you don't want them to force your DS to write his name because it will put him off writing. Insist on it.

Ok I'm sorry. But this is why I'm saying do it at home as a fun activity to build his confidence. I hate this "can't do won't do" attitude. If you tell his nursery to stop him writing, he'll use that for other things too. Don't work against the nursery, work with them.

Why on earth would you make a 3 year old do something they aren't developmentally ready for, that won't benefit them, just to please a nursery?