what age to start writing their NAME

[indamb]

What age do kids start to write their own name?

My Dd1 was about 3.6 i think.
Dd2 has just started writing hers about 3mths ago, she is 4.8.

Hi Janh. Yup, seems to make sense. I've started learning, with my older girls, calligraphy. I felt that they needed to improve their writing skills and take more of an interest in it. They are really enjoying the beauty of calligraphy and that has really increased their enjoyment and enthusiasm for writing too (my 9yr old spent about 6hrs today producing a beautiful piece of work about Queen Victoria, all because she wanted to write with the calligraphy pen!). My 4yr old has also joined in too, so it will be interesting to see how she gets on.

Branster, at my kids' primary school they start using fountain pens in Y5 (age 9-10). Not entirely sure what they use before that - pencil some of the time certainly, maybe biro too - they also use Berol "Handwriting" pens which produce a fountain-pen kind of writing but without the nib.

Oh, and DS2 when he was in Y6 last year insisted on being bought an italic pen when he saw the writing one of his friends produced with one. Not quite calligraphy but he was very keen on the way it worked.

Branster (Im on my high horse now!) They seem to prefer using pencils in UK. I personally think pens are much more enjoyable and easier to write with. OK, you can erase pencil, but children should get the most enjoyment they can from writing to encourage them, and there can be nothing better than writing with a good fountain pen. They should be given the freedom to use all different mediums. Does anyone know if this actually happens these days?

My ds was just over 3.5 and dd was 4.

Also, forgot to mention that some young children find it difficult, even painful, to hold a pencil. Pens are more molded for little hands and must be more comfortable to use.

The schools here in Scotland teach children to write using little curves and flicks. Dd2 has just started learning joined up handwriting and it's beautiful, much neater than her printed stuff!

School here does small curves and hooks in reception, full flicks and loops (cursive) in yr1 - but not actually joined up, then fully joined up in yr2.

I totally agree about pens MUMINAMILLION. Congratulations on your great attempt with HE. Fantastic! Well done and good luck for the future!

That's reassuring to know roisin. Thanks for the info.

That's interesting JanH. It's good they're encouraged to use pens. The writing is so much more 'fluid' (does that make sense??!!) with a pen.

My ds is nearly three and can read his name but not write it - nowhere near. My friend's daughter could write her name - Holly - before she was three, but she's very orderly and can really concentrate. My husband told me the first time he wrote anything was at five, when he went to school. He writes for a living now! I really don't think it matters.
BTW scribble drawing is absolutely normal and appropriate for a child of two - the first representational drawing (though you might not recognise it as such!) occurs around three, normally.

I was taught handwriting at primary school and my writing is absolutely horrible - it doesn't always work!

DS2 (3.5) can copy his name - if it's written at the top of the sheet he can write it lots of times underneath. DS1 was 3y 10m when I taught him and he caught on quickly.

What is the fuss about joined up writing?? My handwriting doesn't join up in the tradiotional way (mostly printed with some oddities thrown in) and I did over 7 years' of calligraphy so I know how it works . I think fluid handwriting is something that develops with use. My wirting was appalling until I reached secondary school. I think we used pencil up to yr5 when we were allowed to use biro. We could use fountain pens in yr6 if we wanted to. I love writing with a proper ink pen but more often I use a biro nowadays. It's a completely different feel and I think it's actually difficult to switch between the two. I have to write a lot to get back in the feel of a proper ink pen as they handle so differently.

Now, a proper calligraphy dip pen - that's a completely different skill alltogether as you can only pull thepen across the paper, not push. It's more like drawing... drifts off in memory

My dd was about 3.5, she only has a 3 letter name, my ds at 3.5 could write a shorter version of his name and can just about do the full version now (he's 4). Not very kind mother giving him a 11 letter name, poor child.

Branster - by 'school here' I meant our own particular primary school: not all schools do it this way.

Our school teaches it relatively early because they believe that it helps children to write faster, earlier, and that eases the flow of the thoughts when they are composing a story, or writing an essay: so writing is less likely to be a source of frustration. I'm not really sure myself. Atm ds1 (just finished yr2 but youngest in his class) can still print faster than he can write, but this last year has had to do joined-up for all his schoolwork.

A friend told me recently that in SATs there are extra points available at level 3 (level 2 is average for end of yr 2) if they do full joined-up writing. I don't know if anyone can confirm that?

DS2 could write his name (after a fashion: self-taught) at age 3: one of only 2 out of 52 nursery children who could do so his teacher said. But it is a VERY easy name to write - 4 letters, 3 of which are very simple. But his writing hasn't made a big improvement in 2 years. I must admit I don't really approve of children 'having to' write at all until they are at least 5, and would much rather all the emphasis was on letter/number recognition and reading. But maybe that's because I'm a mum of two summer-born boys!

Aloha's post about her dh reminds me about my older children. They all started school at 5+yo and the trend then was for children not to write until the first year of school. Nurseries and playgroup were not allowed to teach either reading or writing! The primary schools liked to have a 'clean slate' with which to work, apparently, so they wouldn't have to undo bad habits. All three of them can write perfectly well now, so I doubt it makes much difference in the long run.

Don't know about KS1 but at KS2 they get more marks if writing is joinned and neatish. I had joinning up my writing though - my kids at school have to remind me to join!

I think dd1 can just about write the M which starts her name. I couldn't write or read a thing till I was gone five, and then at six I could read just about anything (Paddington, Jane Eyre - anything that was lying around) and ended up with a couple of English degrees, so am not remotely bothered.

dd1 can write her own name, she's 4, and it's an easy name to spell. she's very interested in letters now but we haven't pushed it and only recently has she been asking about spelling and reading.

DD 3 1/2 can write her name if she is copying it or is told which letters to write! lol She knows what letters are in her name, but when she writes it herself they inevitable all end up in the wrong place! lmao
She can write mummy though

My ds has just turned 4, starts school in 3 weeks and can barely hold a pencil let alone write with it. Mind you he is left handed and I'm not so it is difficult to get the correct positioning for holding the pencil and I have no idea if it comfortable for him. I will leave it to the professionals. He is doing fine with number and letter recognition though so I am not worried and he even told his dad the letters for his name this evening. There is no hurry - he will learn when he is ready, as all children do.

dd1 could write her name before she was 3 (about 2.10) and could type it before she could write it(about 2.6)! However she was really interested in letters and numbers and continues to be.
It is not unusual for kids to start reception not being able to write their name (at least not in Sydney where I was a teacher) and many don't know how to hold a pencil properly. It depends on their individual interests. My dd1 cannot sit and play with toys by herself, but she now (at 3.7) can count to 30 and knows all the letters of the alphabet, because that's what she's interested in. They all get there in the end, it just taes som elonger than others because it's not where their interests lie.