Guetting My 5 Year Old to Write and Color.

Hello M.,
I am a former preschool teacher. I used to get four year olds ready for Kindergarten. My 20 students would leave me reading and writing. I have dealt with children like your son every year. First of all don't worry too much. Your son will learn these skills in Kindergarten. (as long as he gets a good teacher) But it is a good idea to get him "with the program". I have a few questions- 1. Does your son's school "teach" the children to write or is it a choice? 2.What kind of curriculum do they use? A lot of preschool allow children to "learn through play" more than get taught, which is good for the curious child, not so much for the boys who want to play (which most boys do). They will usually choose to play over art or write. My son is also 5 and he does not like doing school work, he would rather play with me. I have to tell him that I will play with him after he plays school with me. It works most of the time. 3. Does he complain that his hand hurts? If so he needs to do activities that work those muscles (play-dough, puzzles, lacing cards or beads, or cutting with child fiskar scissors) These are fun activities and can be used also to make learning fun. I would like to know more about your son and I would love to offer tutoring for him. Contact me if you're interrested. I have a Child Development Assosiates Degree CDA and an AA in Elemtary Education. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Good Luck!!!! N.

He may have sensory problems. He may not like the feel of the pencil in his hands maybe he needes a larger or smaller size pencil. A occuptional therapist maybe could help.
You may be able to contact one at your other child's school and just drop a note to her and have her call you back.

Maybe a reward system if he writes his name he gets a treat of some kind.
Sure hope you find what works. F.

In addition to Nikki's advice, which was good, I would also encourage you to have your son evaluated by an Occupational therpaist (OT) who is properly trained to assess and treat hand weaknesses, visual motor integration, etc. that may be a contributing factor in your son's issues. Feel free to contact me if you need more information.

Your son may have a developmental delay and needs to be evaluated by an occupational therapist as soon as possible. If your pediatrician won't give you a referral, call Nemours and ask to speak to the Occupational Therapy clinic. I am also a mother of a child who would not/could not hold a pencil/crayon and has an aversion to writing and painting. He has been in therapy for three years now starting when he was four. He now writes (nearly) as well as his peers. Your son is not lazy based on what you have said and he probably has a legitimate fine motor developmental delay. There are many exercises the therapists can help him with to strengthen his fine motor control. Hope this information is helpful.

ok first i would get a new pediatrician!! i am not a medical person, but i don't think it is often that a dr should be saying a child "is just lazy!!" have you ever tried getting him to write his name in a silly way? like with stamps, or on aquadoodle so he can see how it disappears afterwards, or on a magnadoodle...that might be an idea, bc then you could see if he truly cannot do it, or if certain ways peaks his interest. good luck. first and foremost though, i would get a new dr. i don't know what side of town you are on, but i take my son to Dr Cynthia Brewer, w/Dr Assi's office, and she is WONDERFUL! Let me know if you want their number. Good luck!

Is your son left handed? School systems tend to teach proper pencil holding, paper position, etc. for right handed folks. If your son has a lefty tendency he may be embarrased that he's not like the others. My daughter - now in college - went through a heck of a time as a lefty. She always failed the "palmer method" or whatever method was being taught for cursive. Holding her pen/pencil backward in her left hand makes her slant her writing in in the opposite direction. She wrote so tiny you needed a magnefying glass to read it. That was so the teacher wouldn't critize her. Drop by his class and observe the interaction sometime. You may be able to spot the problem in a few minutes because Mom's instincts are the BEST!

My daughter is also 5 and we are homeschooling. At this age, if something is considered work, they don't want to do it. I don't have this issue when it comes to schoolwork, but my daughter's other responsibilities are met with crossed arms and stomping feet. When we make her chores into a game, however, she is eager to have fun. I'm not sure how you could turn writing/drawing into a game, but you may want to discuss options with his teacher.

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