Da hopeless at writing - here is an example.

[Notmymuse]

Further to my previous thread ds (5) wrote this today. He self corrected a number of times and at the end went back and changed 'to' to 'two'. It took him around 5 minutes and says:

Jesus went into Jerusalem. He had the last supper. Judas betrayed him. The Roman king put two criminals up together. 'Which one shall I release?' said the king. Sadly Jesus was crucified.

Apart from criminals - which is spelt insanely - I'd have been able to get the rest but the handwriting continues to be horrific. He's 6 in June. This looks quite behind to me. Should I press the school for some further help? Certainly compared to all the beautiful work on his classroom walls he is behind.

Ds obviously - not da. He's year 1.

That looks pretty good to me! Is this a stealth boast? Dd will be 6 in October and her writing isn't as good as this, I'm not at all worried.

Jesus wept! Go easy on your poor small child. That is not dissimilar to my DS2's writing who is in year 3. And my DS1 in year 5 tbh but he has ASD so we'll let him off.

Writing is really hard and he has been doing it for 18 months.

That is beautiful. Try being proud of your child for a change!

No! All the children in ds's class seem to be miles in front. If he was still in reception and 6 after September it would be ok but he's a young year 1.
I wasn't too concerned until I went in for an open morning and saw the work of the other children. At parent's evening teacher said he's low in his cohort. His fine motor isn't very good.

I agree with previous poster. I think there is nothing at all to be concerned about. The content is actually quite good and the writing itself will only improve with age.

He's five!
Nd aside from "criminals" thenothermaods are spelled in phonetically plausible ways. It's a really nice piece of writing from a little boy. For god's sake stick it on your fridge and let him see you're proud of him!

And it's pointless knowing where he is simply within his cohort. Did the teacher mention where he stands compared to national expectations? I know the "knowing my child's position in class" is a big debate on here, but this makes me so sad!

*excuse crazy spelling - ipad keyboard is lagging!

I also think it is pretty good.

It just worries me because I know how much is expected of them. If you're behind in year1 it doesn't bode well for the coming years when demand is even greater and writing is a big big part of it.

If you're "behind" in reception/year 1 etc, it does not mean anything. Once they get it, there's no stopping them. And this writing is pretty good anyway.

This is better than either of my two DSs at that age, one who is "average" and one who is "top set" in English (10 and 12 now)

Don't sweat it, don't be impatient.

But then, I am from a country where kids do NO writing until they are 7!

Always seems to me the English are obsessed with getting their kids to write as young as possible, not sure why.

Where I am from kids learn to read and write later, but quicker, so get to the finish line at the same time IYSWIM.

I would not put any pressure on. His writing is eligible, he writes separate words (my oldest did not until he was 8) and is using (some) capital letters.

But you can always ask the teacher.

LOL, not eligible, LEGIBLE

My ds is 13 and his handwriting is only slightly better than this. He has struggled with controlling a pen since he first picked one up. If there is a problem the school will pick it up & provide help. My ds now uses a laptop in school & is expected to get an A or A* in all his GCSEs.

I don't think you have anything to worry about though, it looks fairly reasonable to me.

What is wrong with it?

For a 5 year old it is great! He has used his phonetic knowledge to make plausible attempts at spelling AND I can read every word. He has used correct punctuation and capital letters - something children twice his age regularly forget to do.

You cannot possibly think he is behind?! Are you serious? Please don't get drawn into the ridiculous comparisons with others. That way madness lies!

You should be praising this good work not comparing him unfavourably with others.

Oh and please tell me this is not homework on a Sunday in the Easter hols.

Cheese n rice

It's much better than my writing (and my spelling) and I'm 40
And don't worry about 'getting behind' I can neither write nor spell but do have a postgraduate qualification in a mathematical subject.

Agree with the pp. stick it on the fridge and tell him you're proud. ( not at all bitter about years of shit I got about my handwriting / spelling)

Oh and hating with a passion your use of the word "hopeless" in your thread title. When describing a 5 year old......

Just for perspective, my ds is 13 and this is his writing AFTER intervention. I don't think you need worry unduly.

Yes - as others have said, there is certainly nothing wrong with it for a Yr1 effort; handwriting is reasonable, there are capital letters, and much of the spelling is plausible when it's not correct. I have known Yr2 or even Yr3 not produce that amount, and to a poorer standard.

Please don't label his efforts as 'hopeless', and try instead to praise his attempts, point out words that are correct, and gently help him to understand where he has gone wrong.

Give him every opportunity to write at home, not just 'school work' but maybe keeping his own diary or journal, or producing his own little 'newspaper'.

Maybe children's work that is displayed IS better, but then the teacher may be picking only the very best. Ideally displays should reflect all abilities, but I guess there will be a natural tendency to want to impress viewers.

To encourage and inspire him you might like to consider this book:

An inexpensive and easy to use book, that can encourage children with reading, spelling and writing, and really help them to understand Phonics, is reviewed in the MN Book Reviews section. Just search ‘Phonics’.

I wish I could have photographed the work I saw in the classroom. Ds is not just a little way off it but a mile off.

He wanted to write about the crucifixion! I have praised him, given him a reward and stuck it on the fridge. He is a left hander with poor eyesight which I am aware wont help him. I don't want these things to cause him to fall behind.

I'm a TA in a primary school. This is a fab piece of work. Please praise your child. There is nothing wrong with this.

I think the content, language and understanding is well beyond most 5 year olds.

He's 5, give him a break. His handwriting is certainly more legible than my DH's!

Yes he has a good vocab and comprehension. It's way better than his reading or writing ability but I think that's the same in most children? He is quite bright verbally I would say and he has good empathy.