Year 1 writing samples.

[Gekkoforprimeminister]

Hi! Is anybody willing to compare year 1 writing samples? Have attached my ds writing sample.... He can write more (maybe 2 or 3 sentences when pushed) but this is an idea of his level.
Teacher says she's happy with his progress but we're having him assessed for dyspraxia and I can't help feeling he's a fair bit behind. Also does anybody have good ideas about how I can move him on?
He's just turned 6 so not especially young in the year.

In my case I’ve got to the point where I’ve actually ended up contacting our local community paediatrician to get help.
Yep, they definitely should be inclusive but I think lots of people are clueless on dyspraxia, I was six months ago, and the only way to get anything done is to be ‘that parent’.

How old is a child in year 1? Is it the same as primary 1, 4.5-5.5?

I should properly read the posts eh,so 6, Primary 2 equivalent.

Children in Y1 are aged 5 to 6. Most of my class are just 5.

My son has ASD and has poor motor skills which can be associated with this.

His school used this program www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk/write-from-the-start-unique-programme-to-develop-the-fine-motor-and-perceptual-skills-necessary-for-effective-handwriting-3-volumes.html. They also used a program called Handwriting without Tears.

The school also generally worked on his gross and fine motor skills which helped with handwriting. His writing now at age 8 is very clear. Other boys in his class seem to have slightly nicer writing but DS's writing is not too far behind at all.

DS also used a writing slope for a few years which helped - see this www.growinghandsonkids.com/5-benefits-slant-board-for-writing.html

An occupational therapist can give good advice on equipment that would benefit your son and adjustments that need to be made for him.

For some children, they never fully master handwriting and move over to using laptops later on for schoolwork instead. At least that option exists nowadays.

DS1 is in Yr 1 and his writing is similar to that in OPs photos. He is typically a reluctant writer, and does seem to find it hard work physically.

He was diagnosed with ASD last year, and as part of that process, he had an assessment with Occupational Therapist. They advised about some hand exercises to help with handwriting, and other activities that can help to build up strength in the muscles needed for handwriting. They also suggested pencil grips to improve the way he holds pencils. He’s also been doing more activities that help with fine motor control in the last year. From what his teacher says, the school are also incorporating some of the activities the OT suggested into DS1’s school day.

His writing has improved noticeably since the beginning of the school year, so I’m hopeful that his writing will continue to improve as he builds up the muscle strength in his hands.
The school have previously mentioned the possibility of using laptops in the future if DS1 continues to struggle with handwriting.

Do plenty of hand strengthening stuff with him to increase the strength needed for handwriting.
In lreland most dc are 5 starting school so only writing very little by ensdof first year at 6 and then they take off. I have seen worse that yours and obviously writing as good as a 10 year old. It varies so much.
Don't panic but do do the excercises. Get a full list on line and integrate into everyday activities. Maybe a sloping board can be homemade..would help as sometimes their whole body gets tired and thats why they are so slow and so resistent. Do plenty of physical stuff with him to improve his overall body function. Lots of running and climbing and rolling and crawling around the place. Make sure he has lots of that.

Fine Motor Skills
Things to remember:
Upright working surfaces promote fine motor skills. Examples of these are: vertical
chalkboards; easels for painting; flannel boards; lite bright; magnet boards (or
fridge); windows and mirrors; white boards, etc. Children can also make sticker
pictures; do rubber ink-stamping; use reuseable stickers to make pictures; complete
puzzles with thick knobs; use magna-doodle and etch-a-sketch as well. The benefits
for these include: having the child's wrist positioned to develop good thumb
movements; they help develop good fine motor muscles; the child is using the arm
and shoulder muscles.
Fine Motor Activities
Moulding and rolling play dough into balls - using the palms of the
hands facing each other and with fingers curled slightly towards the palm.
Rolling play dough into tiny balls (peas) using only the finger tips.
Using pegs or toothpicks to make designs in play dough.
Cutting play dough with a plastic knife or with a pizza wheel by holding
the implement in a diagonal volar grasp.
Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls. Use
to stuff scarecrow or other art creation.
Scrunching up 1 sheet of newspaper in one hand. This is a super
strength builder.
Using a plant sprayer to spray plants, (indoors, outdoors) to spray snow
(mix food colouring with water so that the snow can be painted), or melt
"monsters". (Draw monster pictures with markers and the colours will run
when sprayed.)
Primary
Picking up objects using large tweezers such as those found in the
"Bedbugs" game. This can be adapted by picking up Cheerios, small cubes,
small marshmallows, pennies, etc., in counting games.
Shaking dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space
between the palms.
Using small-sized screwdrivers like those found in an erector set.
Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads, Cheerios,
macaroni, etc.
Using eye droppers to "pick up" coloured water for colour mixing or
to make artistic designs on paper.
Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, then gluing the balls onto
construction paper to form pictures or designs.
Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to
the edge of the table.
Making pictures using stickers or self-sticking paper reinforcements.
Playing games with the "puppet fingers" -the thumb, index, and middle
fingers. At circle time have each child's puppet fingers tell about what
happened over the weekend, or use them in songs and finger plays.
Place a variety of forms (eg. blocks, felt, paper, string, yarn, cereal,
cotton) on outlines
Match shapes, colour, or pictures to a page and paste them within the
outlines
Primary
Self-Care Skills
Buttoning
Lacing
Tying
Fastening Snaps
Zipping
Carrying
Using a screwdriver
Locking and unlocking a door
Winding a clock
Opening and closing jars
Rolling out dough or other simple cooking activities
Washing plastic dishes
Primary
Sweeping the floor
Dressing
Scissor Activities
When scissors are held correctly, and when they fit a child's hand well, cutting
activities will exercise the very same muscles which are needed to manipulate a pencil
in a mature tripod grasp. The correct scissor position is with the thumb and middle
finger in the handles of the scissors, the index finger on the outside of the handle to
stabilize, with fingers four and five curled into the palm.
Cutting junk mail, particularly the kind of paper used in magazine
subscription cards.
Making fringe on the edge of a piece of construction paper.
Cutting play dough or clay with scissors.
Cutting straws or shredded paper.
Cutting
Use a thick black line to guide cutting the following:
A fringe from a piece of paper
Cut off corners of a piece of paper
Cut along curved lines
Cut lines with a variety of angles
Primary
Cut figures with curves and angles
Sensory Activities
The following activities ought to be done frequently to increase postural muscle
strength and endurance. These activities also strengthen the child's awareness of
his/her hands.
Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking
Clapping games (loud/quiet, on knees together, etc.)
Catching (clapping) bubbles between hands
Pulling off pieces of thera-putty with individual fingers and thumb
Drawing in a tactile medium such as wet sand, salt, rice, or "goop".
Make "goop" by adding water to cornstarch until you have a mixture similar
in consistency to toothpaste. The "drag" of this mixture provides feedback to
the muscle and joint receptors, thus facilitating visual motor control.
Picking out small objects like pegs, beads, coins, etc., from a tray of salt,
sand, rice, or putty. Try it with eyes closed too. This helps develop sensory
awareness in the hands.
Midline Crossing
Establishment of hand dominance is still developing at this point. The following
activities will facilitate midline crossing:
Encourage reaching across the body for materials with each hand. It
may be necessary to engage the other hand in an activity to prevent
switching hands at midline.
Primary
Refrain specifically from discouraging a child from using the left hand
for any activity. Allow for the natural development of hand dominance by
presenting activities at midline, and allowing the child to choose freely.
Start making the child aware of the left and right sides of his body
through spontaneous comments like, "kick the ball with your right leg." Play
imitation posture games like "Simon Says" with across the body movements.
When painting at easel, encourage the child to paint a continuous line
across the entire paper- also from diagonal to diagonal.
I also use a Busy Finger Box in the classroom but you could easily find most things at home

1. Pegs –

You need pegs of different sizes, clothes pegs, small bulldog clips, stationery clips etc. Get the children to use one hand only at a time. I usually get them to peg about 10 pegs of different sizes onto the sides of a gift bag. They might put them on with their left hand and take them off with their right. They can also try squeezing the pegs between the first finger and thumb (on each hand) then the middle finger and thumb and so on.

1. Elastic bands –

Elastic gymnastics! – Start by putting 2 elastic bands (the same size) around the thumb, first and middle fingers, ask the child to open and close the fingers. Then add another 2 elastic bands and so on. The more you have on, the harder it is to move your fingers. These exercises help to develop the muscles which make the web space when writing.

1. Beads –

Get beads of different sizes and thread. Ask the children to thread some beads onto their string. The smaller the hole obviously the harder it is to thread. Develops hand/eye coordination.

1. Ball bearings and tweezers –

Put the ball bearings in one little box and ask the child to try and pick one ball bearing up at a time with the tweezers and place in a second small box. If this is too tricky try using Hama beads and tweezers.

1. Floam / Playdough –

These products are great for squeezing and rolling which provides necessary sensory feedback and helps to develop hand strength. Ask the children to squeeze the dough and roll it with the palm of their hand.

1. Doodle board –

The Doodleboard is just a way of children practising handwriting patterns or letters without having to commit them to paper. Provide some patterns and shapes to copy.

1. Gummed Shapes –

Give the children a sheet of plain paper and ask them to make patterns or pictures with the gummed shapes. Just picking up on shape at a time, licking it and then sticking it down all help to develop hand/eye coordination and the pincer grip.

1. Hama Beads –

Hama beads are good for pincer grip and hand/eye coordination. The children have patterned sheets to copy and peg boards to put them on.

1. Lacing cards –

Also good for hand/eye coordination. Just give each child one card to lace.

10. Bean bags –
    Give a child 4-5 bean bags and place a container about 3 feet infront of them. Ask the child to try and get as many beanbags in the container as possible. (Hand/eye coordination)

11. Chalk and blackboard –
    If you can, try and wedge the blackboard between two tables and provide the child with a piece of chalk in each hand. Ask them to draw the same pattern with both hands at the same time on both sides of the board. This helps develop bilateral movement.
    Allow the children to draw patterns, shapes and letter shapes on the blackboard. The chalk gives sensory feedback and sound simultaneously.

12. Stencils –
    Children can use the stencils to make a picture. Helps develop pencil control and special awareness among other things.

13. Feathers –
    Ask the children to try and balance a feather on different parts of their body. This helps to develop balance and coordination.

14. Handhugger pens –
    Hand hugger pens are the triangular shaped pens. These help the children to establish a better pencil grip.

15. Tissue paper strips –
    Place the child’s palm (at the wrist) on the end of a strip of tissue paper. Ask them to only use their middle finger to get the paper to scrunch up under their hand.
    Repeat, but this time place the side of the child’s hand on one end of the tissue strip and ask them to only use their thumb to scrunch up the paper and bring it under their hand.
    These activities really help to develop the hand arch, web space and muscle tone of the hand.

16. Stickers –
    Children love stickers. Just peeling them off provides an opportunity to develop fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination.

17. Peg boards –
    These can be peg boards where the child has to place pegs in the holes, maybe copying patterns.
    They can be the boards with plastic pegs already on where they have to stretch elastic bands between them to make patterns.

We do a lot of those things but given DS is at school and we're at work most of the week there are limits to what we can actually do. Also with a very limited attention span, he'll draw 3 pictures on the blackboard but by the time I've noticed he's doing it, he's moved on. I don't think we'd find anything that we could actually do more of, if we had every afternoon at home, because he lasts so little time at any one activity. This weekend he's spent about 10 mins doing a wooden screw activity with DH, and quite a long time actually doing Snap Circuits with him too. But so many things he just gives up on so 5 mins before school is all we'd get, anyway.

I give him bubble wrap, he wants to stomp on it. I give him play dough, he resists suggestions for specific activities. I try and practice buttons, he says they are TOO HARD and has a tantrum. I have made an easy button game, he used to happily do it but now won't try. Ditto lacing, sewing - it's boring or he does 30 seconds and stops.

We use the Write from the Start book which is OK if done in small bits with one of us physically guiding the pencil and rubbing out any scribbling. At least he's willing to try. He's always had triangular pencils.

Five or ten minutes a day is enough

My daughter has mild dyspraxia. She is 6 and in y2. Her writing is terrible but the content is good. I had people doubting my thoughts as it is not immediately obvious unless you are with her all the time.

For me the diagnosis was important as although she may not struggle massively now it is only going to get worse as she gets older and there is more and more writing with time pressure. I don't want to be fighting for help when she is 9/10 as everything seems to indicate it is harder then.

She also struggles with her focus and her teachers have said that to someone who didn't know her it would just look like she is being naughty and not paying attention whereas she just cannot maintain the focus. She now gets sensory breaks at school where she goes and runs round the playground to help her 'reset'. Again I feel the diagnosis helps here.

My year 1, 6 year old has lovely cursive writing and is apparently gifted in this area. My almost 4 year old can't hold a pen and doesn't recognise letters yet. They're all so different but they'll get there.

They're all so different but they'll get there.
It depends where "there" is.
mrz we definitely do that much. So I'm not really sure what else we can do to help him, to be honest.

This is a child in my class ( DCD) in September and now. Obviously still having difficulties but I'm very proud of his hard work. He was recently seen by an Ed Psych. Recommendations include a motor program, the Frostig program for visual perception difficulties, ladder, jungle gym and balance beam activities for awareness of his body in space and toys such as Meccano and Tinker toys.

Ds6 had over ten recommendations for changes at school last year. Atm most aren’t implemented.

We were already doing most of the things recommended with the exception of the Frostig program which we will start after half term.

Sadly for these kids it is a bit pot luck on what school will provide.

I think it's important to remember that in the UK children start formal work ridiculously early. In most of the rest of the world this doesn't happen.

Research consistently shows UK children are obviously ahead at first, but by approximately 9 are behind and never catch up. Coupled with this we have higher rates of mental health issues amongst our teenagers. This is no coincidence to me.

I would follow up any assessments available to you.

Above all though don't put him under any pressure at all and praise him at every opportunity.

Which research is this?

Higher level of mental health issues than South Korea when they have a very high level of teen suicide due to academic pressures?

Not according to OECD

Tutor of Yr 1 aged children.
Yes, I'd consider that behind.
I notice he's writing on 'regular' paper.
May I suggest using handwriting guidelines as it helps them to learn the placing of the letters compared to others and keeps them to a standard size?
It's definitely what I'd do with my tutees.

Wow Mrsz I've just seen your really detailed advice on here, thank you so much for taking the time to write it, it's really helpful!