Nowadays, many children entering first grade know how to write letters fluently. This makes many parents wonder whether they should teach their children to write early or not? What is the most appropriate age to teach your child to write? And what do parents need to prepare to effectively teach their children to write? Let Mykingdom solve the above questions in the following article:
Why shouldn't children learn to write early?
Many parents want their children to be able to read and write fluently when they enter first grade. So right from the age of 4, 5, even 3 years old, you start teaching your child how to write. However, according to educational experts, letting children learn literacy, including reading and writing, too early will cause negative effects on children. Therefore, before teaching children to write, parents need to research carefully.
Create bad habits and incorrect knowledge if teaching methods are not standard
For children before entering grade 1, parents should only let children become familiar with letters so they can practice observing and remembering. You should not spend too much time teaching your child to learn literacy, especially writing skills. Because teaching children how to write requires methodical techniques and expertise. If parents teach their children to write incorrectly or superficially, they will create bad habits and false knowledge from the beginning. When children enter first grade, it will be difficult to correct, and teachers also face many difficulties when teaching children to practice writing.
Children's fine motor skills are not yet complete
Preschool children have incomplete fine motor skill development. Children's wrist joints and fingers are still weak, so when children learn to write, they easily get tired and have difficulty bending their strokes. Furthermore, children do not have high concentration and are easily distracted by everything around them. Therefore, if parents try to force their children to practice writing, it can easily make them feel discouraged, leading to lazy writing later on. Instead, let children play at the right age with appropriate fine motor development toys such as collage crafts, playdough, beading, science experiments...
Children lose interest in exploring writing
Teaching children how to write early, if not done properly, will make them no longer interested in exploring letters when they enter first grade. Because the knowledge will be repeated and there will be nothing new, children will quickly feel bored. Furthermore, the difference in level between children who have learned to write and have not learned to write will make it difficult for teachers to teach and create passion for children.
Children easily have dependent thoughts
Teaching children to write early also causes children to develop a sense of dependence. Because they have learned literacy first, when entering formal school, children will not be willing to explore, try and be creative. Besides, many children are still passive and follow the patterns they have learned, so it is difficult to absorb new things.
When is the best time to teach your child to write?
There is no official regulation on the age at which children should be taught to write. Normally, preschool children from 5 years old onwards will learn to read so that when they enter first grade, they will be bolder and more agile.
If your child feels interested in learning letters and writing beautifully, parents can create conditions for their child to learn and play at the same time. On the contrary, if the child is not ready, parents should not force their child to learn literacy early. Let your child have time to play and explore. And teaching your child to write can start about 3 months before to prepare your child for entering grade 1.
What do parents need to prepare to teach their children how to write?
Pencils: When starting to teach children to write, parents need to buy pencils for their children. The most common types of pencils are 2B and HB with soft tips, not too hard, suitable for children's writing and coloring practice.
Notebooks: Parents should use notebooks with 4 squares, with horizontal and vertical lines. This type of notebook will help children practice writing easily and accurately in each stroke. In addition, parents need to choose notebooks with good quality, brightly colored paper that will not tear when bleached.
Eraser: The next indispensable tool when teaching children to write is a pencil eraser. Pencil erasers are made from safe materials, clean, contain little dust and are smudge-free.
Tables and chairs: Sitting posture greatly affects children's learning efficiency and health. Therefore, parents need to choose tables and chairs that are suitable in size and sturdy for their children to practice writing effectively.
With the information shared above, surely parents can determine the appropriate time to teach their children to write. Mykingdom hopes that parents always have the right directions and ways to teach their children to help them develop the best skills. Don't forget to follow Mykingdom's " Handbook " section to see more useful articles.
