(no subject)

[the_rck]

Delia has been working on letters. She can write her name fairly clearly. Her C tends to look like a U or to be completely backward (I've been told that this is very common). Her O and D look a lot alike because she can't yet get the flat side on the D. Her R looks very like her current drawings of people, just without the facial feature. R has a circle with two legs coming off the bottom. She's doing I as a lower case letter, a line with a circle on top. I think she finds that easier than doing it with top and bottom lines. She also prefers a lower case L. The horizontal lines on her E are all smushed up near the top of the vertical line.

She's been working on letters in the context of writing words and writing the names of her classmates. Her pre-school did a fundraiser with a small book that has pictures of each of the kids along with their names and a bit of text modeled after the relatively well known Brown Bear book. That is, each page says, '[child's name], [child's name], who do you see? I see [other child's name] looking at me.'

Delia has been using this book to get the spelling of her classmate's names. She managed one name-- Ella-- without reference to the book or asking me for help. I was quite impressed.

Of course, when Delia finds that she can't make the pen do what she wants, she screams in rage. I've explained that she just needs to practice. Three weeks isn't all that long to have been working on controlling a writing implement. Her response, even as she kept trying to make a T that satisfied her (I thought it looked fine), was to shriek, "I don't *want* to practice!" (My mother states that I shouldn't worry when she hits the floor in frustration. Mom says that I used to bang my head when I couldn't do something right the first time.)

She refuses to use a pencil even though she likes the idea of being able to erase. I spent ten minutes last night explaining that the eraser wouldn't work on black ball point pen, no matter how hard she rubbed, that she had to write in pencil if she wanted to erase. She screamed protest because she wanted both pen and eraser.

At the parent-teacher conference last week, the only areas of concern that the teacher had were scissor use and grip on writing implements. I think that the latter is well on the way to resolution. On the scissors front, half of the problem is that I use scissors oddly. I almost always hold them upside down because I'm less likely to damage my thumb that way (spending weeks with half of my right thumb numb due to having over-used scissors while holding them 'correctly' is not something I ever want to repeat). I also haven't encouraged Delia to use scissors at home. I'm too afraid that she'll do what I did at her age and start cutting everything in sight. I'll probably have to risk that and start working with her on it.

After she's done screaming at her handwriting.

Comments

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

All of my first grade report cards report that the teachers were very concerned about my handwriting. It sounds like D. is getting a jump on that, no matter how frustrating is it for her (and you, indirectly.) What I mean is that it's great she's starting off so soon--by the time she gets to first grade, everything should be smooth. :)

[the_rck]

I hope it will be.

Although I get the impression that being able to write letters is part of the pre-school's kindergarten readiness standards. I don't know if the public schools are expecting it or demanding it or just hoping for it.

[sorcycat.livejournal.com]

She refuses to use a pencil even though she likes the idea of being able to erase. I spent ten minutes last night explaining that the eraser wouldn't work on black ball point pen, no matter how hard she rubbed, that she had to write in pencil if she wanted to erase. She screamed protest because she wanted both pen and eraser.

If you think she could handle it, you might offer her one of those cheap plastic mechanical pencils - it feels like pen in the the hand but you can erase it. I always used to hate the wood texture of pencils.

[the_rck]

That's an idea. I'm not sure why she prefers pens, and trying a cheap mechanical pencil seems reasonable.

[kyrielle]

The mechanical pencil leds are easy to break, is the one drawback. If she presses hard, she will get frustrated with the constant snapping.

If that doesn't work for her, there are erasable pens - or at least there were when I was growing up - they don't erase perfectly, though.

[the_rck]

I have (somewhere) a mechanical pencil with an extra thick lead that might work for her. It's still possible to break it, but the lead is as thick as in a standard pencil.

I'm going to look into erasable pens, too. I remember them as very messy, but it's possible that they've improved in the last twenty years.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

Wow, writing-wise Delia is almost precisely where Kendra was a year ago (and Delia is almost precisely a year younger than Kendra). (Kendra, however, has the kind of temperment where she doesn't insist on pens or bang when she's frustrated.) In case it's useful: Now, a year later, she still has problems with her grip on her pen/pencil/scissors. Her letter formation is much clearer, and almost always readable. (I love her creative spelling -- for example she recently wrote GOST for ghost -- it's clear that she is sounding things out herself. :) ) Very shortly after the start of kindergarten she had a huge surge in motor control, to the point that she brings home artwork and I ask her if an adult did the drawing and coloring for her, and she says no, she did it herself. I have no idea if that's where Delia will be in a year, but the point she is at right now is so exactly where Kendra was a year ago that it seems likely.

[the_rck]

That's very good to know. I'd been worried about Delia with writing and drawing, but the last three weeks have been amazing in terms of the change. I'm not sure how long the rapid change will continue, so I'm enjoying it while it's happening.

[dspitzle.livejournal.com]

One trick you might try: if you can get Delia looking at a comic book, explain that they do it in stages, with the pencil first followed by pen. She might find that works for her writing, and once she starts using the pencil she might decide adding the pen over the top isn't worth the extra time.

[the_rck]

I'll have to dig a bit to find an age appropriate comic book, but that might work.

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

Or try this:

http://www.boltcity.com/workshop/copper_tutorial/

It's an online walk-through of how the web comic Copper is put together.