My 4 year old can't write her name?

Question

My 4 year old has just started daycare last October she turned 4 in November and her teacher says she is remedial because she cant write her name but my 3 year old nephew can. What do you think? SHould I have me daughter tested or should I be concerned with her delay? She has never been in a school environment and I think she just needs time to learn and get used to learning,my hubby agrees with the teacher and wants to send her to special ed classes....please help!

Answer 1

First of all, she can't do something she hasn't learned yet! It is perfectly normal for a child to learn slower than other kids. Here's 2 examples:


1. My sister was also a "slow learner" and she did not learn to write properly until she was six. But she's 10 now, and she can write perfectly fine.

2. My best friend's little sister didn't learn to read and write until she turned seven. She can't write perfectly, but she's learning and doing just fine.



See? Nothing to worry about. But you DO want to start teaching her the letters of the alphabet in a way that makes it comfortable for her. Whatever you do, don't make it a punishment! Kids hate it when there parents make them spending an hour doing something they have found unpleasent. Make it fun for her, and here's an idea on that too:



First, make sure she knows how to spell her name. then, hide "letters" (pieces of construction paper with letters on it) and have her find the correct letters to spell her name, to spell mom, to spell just about anything! (Don't make it too complicated though.) If you root her on while she finds the letters, and you give her a little reward after she finishes successfully, she'll grow to enjoy the game and it will make it easier for her to learn.



I hope you find my advice helpful! Yeah, it's pretty long, but useful!

Answer 2

I would say the teacher is crazy. Most kids do not have the motor functions at 4 to hold their pencil correctly! And all children are different, my daughter wrote and knew her letters and shapes by four and I use to think she was so smart. My son on the other hand didn't want to learn and didn't write his name until he was 6, didn't know his alphabet, or numbers at the beginning of the school year. My daughter didn't start reading until she was almost 8 my son is reading at 5 books my daughter reads now, he is extremely good at math and puzzles and building things.
I was worried that he wasn't as smart as she is, but now I know he is just smart differently. Don't let anyone peg a child as slow because any child no matter their IQ can do amazing things! She may not be good at writing her name but I'm sure she is good at other things.

Answer 3

So what she can't write her name. She needs practice. As the saying goes practice makes perfect. What ever you do do NOT send her to special education classes if the only problem is that she can not write her own name. Start out with the 1st letter of her name. Here are a few web sites that offer preschool worksheets. When a child first starts to write their name it is easier to use all capital letters.
http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/index.htm
http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/tracer_pages.htm
http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/modern/modupper.html

If you start out small and make it fun to do. You should see results in no time. Another tip is not to try to work with your child when they are tired or hungry or even cranky. As it sets her up to fail. Choose a time when she is in a happy go lucky mood. I work with the daycare kids either after morning snack or after afternoon snack.


You can also pick just 1 letter to work on a week. I did this with the daycare kids a lot. We would pick a letter and all week do activities that go with that letter. Take the letter D for example. We would make dot pictures. Make dough, have donuts, Watch a dog movie. trace the letter D Color a dog or dinosaur picture.

Answer 4

I would ask the teacher exactly what would she be tested for. She is awfully young to be considered for Special Education just because she can't write her name at only 4 years old. Kindergarten (age 5-6) is usually when red flags go up about a child who can't write his or her name. I am a special education teacher and my husband has a Ph.D. in special education so we know about these milestones and when a child should be referred.

Again, if writing her name is the only problem, she should not be tested at all.

Answer 5

That seems overboard to me. I think the daycare teacher is pushing it and you NEED to change.

Psychological studies have shown that a teacher's attitude (even unspoken) can have a dramatic effect on the child. It's called a self-fufilling prophecy. In other words, if the teacher thinks your child is remedial, there is a very real risk that she could begin behaving that way!

Your child needs to be in an environment where her developmental timetable is respected. Children don't have to be in school to learn (my 4.5 year old has taught herself how to write her own name and other words). Each child learns at a different pace and there's NOTHING wrong w/ that.

Answer 6

my daughter is five and she didnt learn how to write her name until she was four and it was a few months before she turned five, and her teacher says shes exceeding what a k-4 student does and she goes to a private school. The most they should know is their abcs and their 123s and their colors. other wise you just have to remember they are just kids and some kids learn faster than others. Your daughter is probably a really smart girl, dont test your child on something like that unless shes not talking and stuff like that.

Answer 7

She's four years old, simple as that. Give her a break and let her be a kid. It's not a vital necessity for a child of her age to be able to write her name. If she hasn't successfully learned how to write her name by the age of 6, then it would be time to consider looking into the matter. Until that time, you have absolutely nothing to worry about!

Good luck!

Answer 8

No I agree with you just spend time with her on it and she will get it. I would not allow the school to label her special ed shes only 4 so what if she cant write her name. She will eventually do it probably before next school year.

Answer 9

i don't see how a child can be remedial if they haven't learned it yet. don't single your daughter out and tell her she's special ed when she's only 4. just sit down with her for a little bit each day and work on writing letters and the alphabet. try and make a game out of it to keep her interested. sometimes to learn something you just have to keep trying different methods until you find one that helps them understand.

Answer 10

First of all she is only 4. Granted a lot of 4 yr olds can. But she can't do something she hasn't been taught. Have you tried to teach her to write her name? Has she been surrounded with the alphabet and learned what letters look like?