Aibu does anyone else have a five year old who writes like this?

[ConkerBonkers]

I am blown away by Charlotte's handwriting, she is only five. Surely this is preternaturally advanced? Link below.

My own DC who is also five cannot write like this, and I thought his writing was great...feeling bad about my homeschool skills!

Please put my mind at rest!

news.sky.com/story/george-charlotte-and-louis-make-cards-for-granny-diana-on-mothers-day-12245781

@WyfOfBathe thanks 👍

That’s better handwriting than my daughter who’s in year 5!

It’s extremely good for a Y1.
Anyone else on here who claims their Y1 child has writing as good should post a picture as evidence. Could be a fun game

My nieces have been privately educated and their handwriting has been beautiful from a very young age, I think it makes a huge difference.

I have been teaching many years and have only seen one child who had writing like that in Year 1.

Charlotte will have private tutors and will be in a smaller than average class. If all children had the same opportunities, I'm sure that would be what the average year 1 child's handwriting looks like- but they don't.

@AliasGrape

I've taught a few children aged around 5 with handwriting like that, maybe 4 or 5 of them in 15 years.

I spent some time in Spanish schools when I was training and the standard of handwriting was always amazing. I never really got to the bottom of what they were doing so differently (I don't think I realised how good it was at the time). Maybe Charlotte's teachers are using the Spanish method whatever it may be

Charlotte’s Norland Nanny is Spanish...maybe she has helped with handwriting practice!

Some kids love to write, I did. If she practices often, there is no reason at 8 weeks off 6 this wouldn’t be her handwriting. Also, being educated at the same school, there’s a visible progression with George’s handwriting but you can see how the similar/same foundations may have been laid
two years before.

I’ve seen lots of Yr 7’s with handwriting ten times worse in state schools in areas of social deprivation and parents who haven’t been available to oversee homework or practice but, at independent schools I’d say this is far less unusual for a bright child of almost 6.

My kids went to Spanish schools & they spent lots of time on handwriting lessons, like we did at school.

My 5yo DD writes like this, she was born one month after Charlotte - we wanted to call her charlotte but that stopped us. She writes better than me and seems naturally good at reading and writing but there are lots of skills that she's not nearly so good at - she cannot run faster than a sloth for example, so it's all swings and roundabouts

@Enidblyton1

It’s extremely good for a Y1. Anyone else on here who claims their Y1 child has writing as good should post a picture as evidence. Could be a fun game

I won't make that claim.

Here's ds handwriting at 11 🙈

He does have a physical disability though.

@GNCQ

It's cursive writing.

They don't normally even start teaching that until a child is 8 years old.

It's no way Charlotte's writing.

Yes they do!? I have taught in state schools and many start from yr with cursive! My own 3 children went to state school and all started cursive from yr

Its better than both my DCs handwriting. Especially DS1. They are 16 and 14

But privately educated, with the best nannies money can buy etc etc. I'd expect it to be good!

I can believe it.

Just before the first lockdown last year, I visited a private school in Surrey that I was hoping may be a good environment for DS and DD. They showed us around the classrooms, and looking through the workbooks, the DC were being taught cursive writing from nursery, age 4. Some of their writing was very very good for their age. I remember coming home and telling my Mum about it, as I was stunned.

The school I looked at was about £12k per year for primary, and there were a maximum of 15 pupils in each class, with both a teacher and a TA as standard. Given Charlotte's school costs about £20k per annum, and based on the private school I visited, I'd expect that level of writing for a 5 year old being taught there.

My son is autistic, extremely gifted, great motor skills, speaks more than one language, goes to to an expensive prep....
...in other words all the benefits you could want ...
And did NOT write like that at 5.

I don’t think it’s her writing!the signed name is different from the Rest of he the writing

And

Did George actually draw that picture? Doubt it!

I learned cursive from a very young age.

Yes, it's very good writing but I don't see why people are saying it's definitely not hers.

My cursive is still much neater than my non-cursive writing even now. Once we'd learned cursive we weren't allowed to write any other way!

My daughter at 5 could write similar to this (state school) but she is summer born so was at the end of Y1 and still ate 5. In year 1 they get a lot of practice in writing.
My daughter is academically able and now at grammar school. Lots of things in school come easily to her.
I have other children and their handwriting in year 5/6 is still not as good so it just depends on the fine motor skills of the child

Year 1 teacher here. I would say I have a couple of children in my class writing like this. Same with other classes. I maybe had a few more in the independent school I taught at. So it's not unheard of by any means.

Given that they are at top schools and probably also have tutors I'm not at all surprised.

Oh, and we start cursive from year 1 and some do it from reception or before.

It looks exactly like George's writing, I'm not convinced it's hers!

Don’t worry @itsgettingwierd I can’t make any claims about my DCs beautiful handwriting either. They both go to private school, with small classes and lots of handwriting practise. And still produce something a spider would be proud of.
Oh well!

It's better than both my secondary aged boys' writing 😂

Mine both learned cursive from Reception. DD1’s writing was similar at that age, DD2’s was not!

My just turned 5 DD is in reception and I can't see her writing looking like that in a year. In fact when my older DD was in year 1, she had only just got the hang of spaces by this time in the term never mind joining the letters.
Does anyone else have a left handed child who writes from right to left and back to front?! If I don't remind her DD rights everything right to left and back to front. Her letter formation is perfect but always back to front.

It’s very neat, but not particularly evidence of being supremely advanced. Simply a child that has the benefit of an expensive education plus nannies and tutors and also has practiced a lot. The very neatest girls in my sons class were that neat in year 1, and I was wowed when I saw their writing as my sons was still a scrawl. But I think that standard is fairly normal for
Privately schooled kids judging by my friends children.

@GNCQ

It's cursive writing.

They don't normally even start teaching that until a child is 8 years old.

It's no way Charlotte's writing.

That’s not true - well not in England anyway. Cursive writing is taught from age 4 and by y4 (age 8) children are expected to write neatly, in cursive writing with a fountain pen. They don’t teach any sort of handwriting at age 8! That’s all supposed to be done by then! My daughters is similar tbh, and she’s approx the same age. I do think generally independent schools focus more on handwriting IME

My daughter is now 6 and in Year 1, and has lovely handwriting. Some of the others do and some don't - the scale is massive.

Hope it doesn't seem like I am boasting by posting this photo; how tidy a child's handwriting is probably one of the least important things ever at this age. I just didn't want my claims to have no evidence backing them up!

@year5teacher

I’ve taught maybe two children who have handwriting like this but I dare say royal children have more input than a frazzled teacher and TA who are trying to stop half the class eating Lego.

😂