DD's writing style

[hillbilly]

DD (4.5) can write her name easily and also write most of the other letters however she starts each letter from the bottom instead of from the top. This seems a little strange. I have tried to encourage her to start from the top but to no avail. Should I just leave it until she starts school in January or keep trying?

My daughter does it too. She started school in September and is doing great. Already reading so I don't think it gets in the way. They're still pretty young.

Thanks - I guess I should just be pleased that she is doing it at all!!

My daughter does this too and is resistant to instruction from me on the matter . She's 4.4 in reception full time and I have expalined to the teacher that she taught herself and it's not my fault. I've noticed that she is gradually starting to write some the right way so just hope it will all come right eventually.

Is she trying to copy cursive? Cursive writing, with all the flicks starts on the line.

You could buy her the Finger Phonics books, which get you to trace your finger around indented letters, starting in the right place??? Maybe she'd enjoy tracing those and thus learn the right way to form her lower case letters (and maybe learn the phonics sounds at the same time!). I'm sure there are other makers of letter like this, where you learn by feel as well as sight how to form the letters properly (lower and upper case, possibly). Or just wait until she starts school (although if she's really keen on writing, she will be practising the wrong way of doing it for quite some time before she starts school). What do her pre-school think about it, or doesn't she go to one? Surely they can play tracing out letters in the sand, or writing them with her, if that's what she's keen on doing???

Oh, just noticed your dd starts school in January. I wouldn't bother - just wait 'til school! It's good she knows the shapes of the letters already, and they'll show her the right way of forming them. (I assumed she'd not be going to school until September).

Thanks everybody!