What age would you say my child was

[Therewerenosnowdaysinthenineties]

From this?

Please be honest.

My dc has been ill since June and unable to attend school, I’ve been doing some work with her at home, however, she’s too ill
most of the time and my main focus is on getting her better. Her educational development is niggling away at me a little now though. She reads well, is eloquent in her speaking and her maths seems good. Her writing to me seems lower than it should be, will she catch up when better?

Oh and the writing is similar to my 6 year old’s!

This is so cute! I wouldn’t be worried OP.

Dd wrote like that until about Yr 3. It smoothed out markedly at the same time as her swimming came together. Her swimming was particularly noticeable because the difference was over a period of just a couple of weeks.

Therefore, I would not fret as her comprehension is tracking well. You just need to wait for the next step in her brain development to happen and that will happen in its own time. Don’t push her for what she can’t do YET.

Try not to stress OP. My eldest dc only attended school 60% of the time from year 8. He was persistent school refuser. He still passed every gcse 4-8 and hot As at A level. He was there enough it seems and was beside myself sick eith worry. It will turn out OK. Just via offbeat path.

My four year old's writing is a lot more advanced than that. My seven year old's writing has only just got better than that. They really do go at their own pace. Your child's health is absolutely the most important thing. Let her play and create. The writing can wait.

So cute! I have no idea what age but a great list of gifts.

So my premie twins were slow starters in getting the hang of school and their writing was like this at that age. Currently in y6 and on track for expected standard its a lovely list ❤️

@Therewerenosnowdaysinthenineties

What kind of illness is she suffering from, OP? Is it something which could continue to affect her?

Am asking in case a particular approach would be helpful with her return to school.

When will she be starting classes again?

I wonder whether her favourite teacher would be supportive if you got in touch about your concerns.

Bless her. Don't worry about writing atm as getting her health better is far more important. My sons handwriting was like that at 7/8 and he was really struggling. A summer with a supportive teacher (gave him 2 ten minute exercises a day) and he soon caught up. All the best for you little girl.

I'm so sorry to hear your little girl isn't well and I hope she recovers soon poor pet. Her picture is so similar to what my son would draw although instead of writing a list of presents for me he leaves notes saying "weewee and stinky bum" instead. He's nearly six.

5

It's because children are legally required to be educated.

My son really likes hospital school. Our children's hospital has it's own classroom and he gets to mix with some of the other children with long hospital stays, it says it makes him feel a bit more normal.

It of course is very different to actual school and is largely about learning through play and each child's interest. They also do scouts every Monday, baking every Tuesday etc.

My daughter wrote very similarly to yours at age 6. She is now 12 and still writes/spells similarly however she is dyslexic. I don't say this to suggest your child is dyslexic, more to point out that writing isn't necessarily indicative of age or intellectual ability. My daughter is incredibly bright, she just struggles with writing things down and processing. Your child is doing brilliantly especially given she's missed some schooling! Her list is so sweet and heartfelt. She seems like a really caring girl. Well done mama!

I'd say 5/6, Y1 ish. There are quite a few quick fixes though. She's mixing capitals and lower case letters, her letter formation (particularly "a") needs some work, and there are some backwards letters. Handwriting practise books and some solid teaching of where to use capitals could immediately elevate the standard of the writing. It doesn't appear she's having problems with her fine motor skills as the letters are consistent and the drawings are neat.

That’s ok for a 6 year old. Please don’t worry about her writing. If her health is improving and literacy and maths are ok seems like she’ll be in a great place soon.
good luck xx

Writing looks like age 4 - 5. Maybe 6.

@ShinyPebble32 It’s ok, no worries

I'm no education expert, so can only go by how I've handled things (rightly or wrongly) with my own DD.

Things that seemed to help her handwriting were colouring books e.g. practicing staying in the lines, using craft scissors carefully e.g making snowflakes, threading beads. All these things help build up fine motor skills in their hands and fingers.
Anything that fosters a love of learning new things, will help her catch up any missed work when she is well enough.

I felt with EVERYTHING, from sleeping through, trying new foods, potty training, reading and writing etc. that as long as she was making progress, no matter how small I wasn't going to worry or compare to others. My gut told me that things would even out in the end.
Do you know what? Now DD is a teenager, I have no idea which of her friends could walk or write their name first. They all just did things at their own pace.

I think the fact that she is thinking of gifts for you show emotional intelligence and a lovely nature, both things that will serve her well.

Hi OP
I'm really sorry it's too late at night for me to have time to read the whole thread and I realise I may have missed some information but hope this may be helpful.
I was a teacher of sick children for ten years. Your daughter should be entitled to a home tutor provided by the local education authority. Unfortunately not all schools realise this and inform parents. You would need medical confirmation that she is not well enough to attend school - this should be easy to get from her hospital consultant or similar.
In our LEA, you would receive a home visit where you can talk about your daughter and agree how much time would be appropriate relevant to her energy levels. As a tutor, we are there to support without pressure. For example, if I had a pupil who was very tired or very stressed, we wouldn't do any formal teaching .. we would read stories or paint or whatever was appropriate that day.
I would liaise with the class teacher, pick up reading books, get an idea of your DD's strengths and any areas useful to focus on, and plan our lessons to suit her needs. I would also facilitate keeping in touch with her class so that reintegration went as smoothly as possible.
We very much tailor our teaching to the needs of the child.
Your LEA (Local Education Authority) should be able to put you in touch with the relevant person to arrange help for your daughter.
I hope that helps .. and yes, her writing will improve in time. Please don't worry about that.
All best wishes to you and your DD.

Oh, and in case this all sounds like a lot of teaching for a young child, it might be as little as a few sessions of an hour or an hour and a half a week. You can actually get a lot done in that time when it's one-to-one teaching. The tutor should also be able to give you advice about fun activities you can do with your child which will help her learning.

I would say year 1 or 2, age 5 or 6.

Don't worry OP. Some people have terrible handwriting. Hers will improve. My handwriting is so bad that if I leave it and go back to it, sometimes I can't read what I have written. The content of your child's message is what strikes me. Very cute...

Personally if I were honest she is behind on handwriting, but that's something easy to pick up when she's better.

Focus on keeping her up with maths, spelling and comprehension those are for harder to catch up when a child slips behind.

@Therewerenosnowdaysinthenineties Your child's drawing and writing does look happy.
No way is it disturbed in any way.

The 'S' and 'J' are mirror images, - she might have dyslexia? -{My son did} - but her happy looking writings are lovely.

Top of the class tracing huge letters? My summer born 4 year old dd just started reception and is not top of the class, she can write simple words and individual letter formation is good. The children at the top of the class are beginning to write similar to OPs example.