Big difference between reading and writing ability?

[stillconfused]

Our yr 4 DS loves reading and is progressing very well. He finds writing very hard, though. He is also very articulate and has brilliant ideas - just still finds it v hard to put them down on paper. He is not really struggling too much but how can I help him to match reading and writing a little bit more (as of end year 3 his reading was 3b but his writing only 2a)? Any ideas / suggestions would be much appreciated - thanks.

is it a physical difficulty? i.e. does he find it uncomfortable holding a pen for a long time etc? may be worth looking at his motor skills.

No, his handwriting is fine. He just struggles with the whole idea of writing a paragraph about something using interesting language etc. (even though when he talks to us he comes out with words our 10yr old doesn't even use...).

My DD sounds the same. She has great confidence in her reading but she really does not like writing at all. She has been known to get upset at school when asked to write something. Not really sure why.

Could you try getting to help with a shopping list, my DD likes to help with that, even if it full of junk food lol.
I know its only October but maybe a letter to Santa would be fun too.

If only he still believed in Santa ... :) (older brother and all that) but thanks for the ideas. Maybe I'll get him to write a wish list and then an interesting sentence with each item?

Out of interest, what's his spelling like? -that is, is it an inability to spell the words he can readily articulate that is holding him back?

That's a possibility, his spelling is not brilliant and he sometimes gets frustrated. Also he seems to think a lot about what he wants to write which slows him down. Sometimes he will give me a brilliant sentence he wants to write but whilst he is writing he loses interest or has forgotten half of it and it ends up a lot more basic - in other words he gets fed up and just wants it to be over and done with! He has no problems with spelling tests and spelling is getting better - maybe it really is a speed thing!

I guess he's too young but I just got a dictaphone for my DSD, 12, who's very articulate and comes up with brilliant stories, but really struggles with spelling, grammar etc so her talent doesn't show :(

she spends so long (even on the computer) writing a single sentence that she often forgets what she's writing. so, on MN advice, the dictaphone (only £20) is so she can 'talk' her stories (and essays in the future) and then replay bit by bit to write them out.

That's a really great idea, thank you - a dictaphone is just the type of gadget he would probably love and it may well encourage him to write with more detail and imagination. Thanks again :)

Voice recognition software (e.g. Dragon Naturally Speaking) would be a good addition to that as he wouldn't have to do the typing afterwards. It's quite pricey though.

Mind mapping software can also be useful to help create structure and plan a piece of writing - a lot of dyslexics use Inspiration but you can find freeware versions if you look online.

DS has used writing frames in school to help him structure his ideas as well. He's also used 'The secret of writing' (Bond books) which is more for 9+ years but gives good ideas on how to use more interesting language, develop characters etc.

Thank you for the Bond books tip sugarcandymonster, have tried various books to boost his confidence in literacy and did not find them too helpful.

stillconfused - I think there are loads of kids (particularly boys?) out there with the exact same issue, so let me know if you resolve it! DS has always been great at reading / spelling / ideas for written work, but actually sitting down and writing for any length of time and getting stories or other pieces finished is not good. '11+ English, a parents toolkit' I found great at home (I know a bit old for your ds) but sorting out for school a different thing entirely...

I would say that he is 4 years old and it will come! So little still!

Clare, he is Yr 4 so 8 or 9 years old.

Stillconfused, my ds1 is similar (also Yr 4 and similar levels at end of Yr3 for reading and writing). His spelling is atrocious and he finds writing physically difficult. TBH reading didn't come easily either but he made a lot of progress in Yr3. The school is going to do a dyslexia screen on him (at my suggestion) as these sorts of difficulties can be signs of dyslexia. Might be worth looking up signs of dyslexia to see if he shows any (can affect maths as well).

With all due respect ..... He is 4!! Writing IS hard!
Do you remember what it was like trying to drive a car for the first time? Trying to do the break, wheel, gears, clutch steer use your mirror etc..... It is REALLY hard to get it all together!! Reading a word correctly and spelling it when you are writing a sentence are also completly different skills sets. I can't count the times I ask my Y3's "how do you spell "saw"?" When they have written "sor". And they do know the correct spelling! We underestimate how hard it is to plan where a sentence is going and remembering it and writing it neatly and spelling it correctly and getting punctuation and remembering to use interesting words and... and.... and.....
IMHO just concentrate on encouraging the reading. If you are in any doubt as to why try Google-ing "Talk for Writing" or anything written by Pie Corbett..... Most children frankly are not exposed to enough books and stories (without having any expectations of writing them!!) and simply don't have enough natrual resource of the conventions of writing and story crafting.

Just more of what you are doing will be fine....

Lol - he is actually in year four so he's eight (am a new poster on MN so apologies if post was a bit unclear) - would not be worried if he was four but amazed that he would be able to write at all ... :)

Thank you for all the comments - will do an update if I find anything that works.

I would see that difference as pretty normal, all 3 of my children have much higher reading than writing scores. They all read and as a household we probably encourage reading but don't really encourage the writing much. I tend to assume it'll come in the end, as long as they are reading.

Another one with a dd who is exactly the same - yr 4, fluent reader (even last yr was being sent to yr 6 classroom for reading books) but struggles to get more than a line or two on paper. Not sure it helps, but your ds is certainly not alone . . .

How old are your children, Fennel? I've been working on the 'it'll come in the end' principle since it first became an issue in year 2 - would like to think that it might all become a bit less painful for dd in the relatively near future!

Mine are 10, 9 and 6. Pretty varied academically - one very good at writing, but better at reading. One so-so at writing but a good reader. One (the 6yo) who's been lounging in remedial literacy groups for the last 2 years but is currently storming through an easy chapter book a day.

I thought it was normal to be better at reading than writing, if you are a keen reader at all. Cos so many children don't really read much that, I suppose, any child who does read a lot is going to have a high reading age.

and we do plug the reading rather at home. I spent my childhood reading so I do rather swamp the dds in books.

Dd2 is like this. Handwriting is awful and she just can't be bothered getting stuffdown on paper. She doesn't seen to be able to write at the same speed she thinks.