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Flowerchild 07:29 AM 01-10-2019
Do you teach your preschoolers to write? Mine are 3 and 4 and they don't know their letters. I mean I've got 2 out of 8 that know their leyters. The other ones either don't know them or just act lazy when I try to them them. It's frustrating. I really want them to learn something. Not just play all day. Play is important too but my lesson is my circle time essentially. They get mad and say they don't want to do it or they don't want the letter I gave them to work on ( really their tracing worksheet) help lol. They be been wild lately and not wanting to clean up after themselves either. It's worse with the after school in the afternoon who think my rules at day care don't apply to them because they are never there and are at school. It's exhausting and disrespectful
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Flowerchild 08:16 AM 01-10-2019
I know you're not supposed to do worksheets but I found them in the resource books we have. I just want to feel like I'm teaching them something and not like they think they run the place they shoudnt do any learning. I love when they learn something and how proud they are when they do. 😍
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jenboo 09:04 AM 01-10-2019
Do you have activities out that encourage writing?
Maybe some clipboard with paper, rice in a pan with a stick for writing in? you could even pair letter flash cards with it.
laminate their names on paper and put out markers so they can trace their names etc.
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Ariana 09:07 AM 01-10-2019
I start at 4 years old or if I have a 3 year old who is ready and willing. I start with their names instead of practicing letters because they have ownership over their names and it makes them proud to write it. Once they have their names down they tend to want to know how to spell other things naturally and I follow their lead. I never ever force writing and have been lucky that my method works really well. I have never had a kid start JR kinder (we have two years of kinder here, JR and SR) who did not know how to write their name at least.

Show them the letters of their names and get them familiar with it then ask them to try and make the letters themselves, then help them by doing a dot to dot that they follow hand over hand. Do hand over hand until they get confident. Also at this age it is important to sit with them with lots of verbal encouragement. They love it!
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Gemma 09:27 AM 01-10-2019
I too start with their names and only teach the kids that are interested
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Flowerchild 09:37 AM 01-10-2019
Originally Posted by Ariana:
I start at 4 years old or if I have a 3 year old who is ready and willing. I start with their names instead of practicing letters because they have ownership over their names and it makes them proud to write it. Once they have their names down they tend to want to know how to spell other things naturally and I follow their lead. I never ever force writing and have been lucky that my method works really well. I have never had a kid start JR kinder (we have two years of kinder here, JR and SR) who did not know how to write their name at least.

Show them the letters of their names and get them familiar with it then ask them to try and make the letters themselves, then help them by doing a dot to dot that they follow hand over hand. Do hand over hand until they get confident. Also at this age it is important to sit with them with lots of verbal encouragement. They love it!
I do hand over hand too. I have a hard time explaining how to form the letter with marker.
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Flowerchild 09:37 AM 01-10-2019
Originally Posted by jenboo:
Do you have activities out that encourage writing?
Maybe some clipboard with paper, rice in a pan with a stick for writing in? you could even pair letter flash cards with it.
laminate their names on paper and put out markers so they can trace their names etc.
I love name idea 😍
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LK5kids 06:07 AM 01-13-2019
Don’t worry about 3’s not writting. It’s not developmentally appropriate to try and get them to write letters.

Even 4’s who are not headed to Kindergarten the next year don’t need to sit and write letters.

I always have a writing center available with mini magna-doodles, mini mailboxes from the $ tree, little notepads, fine tip markers, self inking stampers, pencils& pens & sometimes small envelopes. This is a great way to encourage writing exploration!


If you have kids who are 4/5 and will be going into kindergarten look into handwriting without tears. You can find all kinds of info if you google it. You can make the curves and lines with cardstock and laminate them.

When you teach name writing teach them to start at the top and go down. Google proper letter formation and encourage proper pencil grasp. Teach upper case first letter and then lower case for the rest of the name.

When I taught kindergarten kids came in writing all upper case and they struggled to correct it.

I’d do a little research and read a bit on teaching children to write to get a little background info.
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coloradoprovider 07:11 AM 01-13-2019
Good advice from other providers! Writing is a process, formal instruction is best left to when the child is developmentally ready - when I was a child (back in the stone age!) we didn't begin formal writing until formal schooling. We tend to push kids too early - learning to write their name is enough. If a child wants more then I help them.


Play IS learning! I use guided play to learn to form letters. I use "dough mats," and a toy called "Letter Constructors" from a company called "Learning Resources" and I like to use the process from "Handwriting Without Tears." Also, learning letters is about playing with sounds, loving stories and communicating.

I wouldn't stress about "teaching" the children specific skills that they will get easily when they are ready. Group time should be fun, silly and educational. If a child or two doesn't want to join in, let it go - they will join when they are ready.
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Josiegirl 02:13 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by coloradoprovider:
Good advice from other providers! Writing is a process, formal instruction is best left to when the child is developmentally ready - when I was a child (back in the stone age!) we didn't begin formal writing until formal schooling. We tend to push kids too early - learning to write their name is enough. If a child wants more then I help them.


Play IS learning! I use guided play to learn to form letters. I use "dough mats," and a toy called "Letter Constructors" from a company called "Learning Resources" and I like to use the process from "Handwriting Without Tears." Also, learning letters is about playing with sounds, loving stories and communicating.

I wouldn't stress about "teaching" the children specific skills that they will get easily when they are ready. Group time should be fun, silly and educational. If a child or two doesn't want to join in, let it go - they will join when they are ready.
This, IMO, is the way to go. Just allowing them to randomly play will encourage chaos. But with guided play, and prepared fun activities, you'll be ahead of the game. Do you use sensory tubs? You could build a tub around letters to entice their interest. Or sensory bottles. It's important to build their find motor skills using materials such as playdoh. 3/4's do learn so much through being exposed to fun organized play.
I started doing theme week based on a letter(or 2) at a time. Borrowing ideas from 'No time for flash cards'(google it, she's got some awesome ideas!) we'd make the letter from an art project, do activities related to the letter. When we did F, we worked on farm activities. It was so much fun! We painted with mud, pretended to milk cows using plastic gloves, made a silo out of an oatmeal container, added rice and small farm animals to the sensory tub. Use visuals too, such as finding the letter in written materials and hanging them up, put their names up to see and find certain letters. Imo, you have to first encourage their love of learning for them to want to learn.
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Gemma 05:08 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Flowerchild:
I know you're not supposed to do worksheets but I found them in the resource books we have. 😍
Is there a reason why worksheets are considered no good?
As I said earlier I only teach those kids that are interested and want to learn. I use whatever works including worksheets!
I see nothing wrong with worksheets (I even make my own), they're easy and fun for the child, and parents can see their child's progress. I thought worksheets were considered a useful tool but evidently not by all, I just like to know why some people don't like them
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Blackcat31 06:27 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Gemma:
Is there a reason why worksheets are considered no good?
As I said earlier I only teach those kids that are interested and want to learn. I use whatever works including worksheets!
I see nothing wrong with worksheets (I even make my own), they're easy and fun for the child, and parents can see their child's progress. I thought worksheets were considered a useful tool but evidently not by all, I just like to know why some people don't like them
"Worksheets take away from oral language development, creativity, movement, problem solving opportunities and the sensory experiences necessary for brain development, human interactions and friendships.

Worksheets only tell you what the child knows, generally only provide one right answer and do not let children use their creativity or encourage open ended questions to expand their knowledge and interests.

Children learn best through hands-on experiences, real life experiences, interactive learning and purposeful play."


Worksheets can definitely be a fun time "filler" once in a while but they aren't usually considered DAP in use for teaching children.

More often than not however, worksheets create passive learners.
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Blackcat31 06:30 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Gemma:
and parents can see their child's progress.

Here are some other ways to communicate to parents their child's progress/all that their child is learning:

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Flowerchild 08:33 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
"Worksheets take away from oral language development, creativity, movement, problem solving opportunities and the sensory experiences necessary for brain development, human interactions and friendships.

Worksheets only tell you what the child knows, generally only provide one right answer and do not let children use their creativity or encourage open ended questions to expand their knowledge and interests.

Children learn best through hands-on experiences, real life experiences, interactive learning and purposeful play."


Worksheets can definitely be a fun time "filler" once in a while but they aren't usually considered DAP in use for teaching children.

More often than not however, worksheets create passive learners.
Is it considered a worksheet if there is a place to continue writing. Like tablet paper? I found some blank ones of the tablet that I might work with them on their writing with
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Flowerchild 08:35 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Gemma:
Is there a reason why worksheets are considered no good?
As I said earlier I only teach those kids that are interested and want to learn. I use whatever works including worksheets!
I see nothing wrong with worksheets (I even make my own), they're easy and fun for the child, and parents can see their child's progress. I thought worksheets were considered a useful tool but evidently not by all, I just like to know why some people don't like them
Technically they are not developmentally approprite. I like using them as a guide though
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Flowerchild 08:38 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
This, IMO, is the way to go. Just allowing them to randomly play will encourage chaos. But with guided play, and prepared fun activities, you'll be ahead of the game. Do you use sensory tubs? You could build a tub around letters to entice their interest. Or sensory bottles. It's important to build their find motor skills using materials such as playdoh. 3/4's do learn so much through being exposed to fun organized play.
I started doing theme week based on a letter(or 2) at a time. Borrowing ideas from 'No time for flash cards'(google it, she's got some awesome ideas!) we'd make the letter from an art project, do activities related to the letter. When we did F, we worked on farm activities. It was so much fun! We painted with mud, pretended to milk cows using plastic gloves, made a silo out of an oatmeal container, added rice and small farm animals to the sensory tub. Use visuals too, such as finding the letter in written materials and hanging them up, put their names up to see and find certain letters. Imo, you have to first encourage their love of learning for them to want to learn.
I fed believe in play but we stress circle time which I just don't do. For some reason it feels like a hassle to redirect kids to an a an activity they don't like. I dunno. I guess I do my schedule diffetently. I like to read to them during the break between clean up and lunch while they are waitin. I guess I don't do schedule well lol
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Flowerchild 08:40 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by LK5kids:
Don’t worry about 3’s not writting. It’s not developmentally appropriate to try and get them to write letters.

Even 4’s who are not headed to Kindergarten the next year don’t need to sit and write letters.

I always have a writing center available with mini magna-doodles, mini mailboxes from the $ tree, little notepads, fine tip markers, self inking stampers, pencils& pens & sometimes small envelopes. This is a great way to encourage writing exploration!


If you have kids who are 4/5 and will be going into kindergarten look into handwriting without tears. You can find all kinds of info if you google it. You can make the curves and lines with cardstock and laminate them.

When you teach name writing teach them to start at the top and go down. Google proper letter formation and encourage proper pencil grasp. Teach upper case first letter and then lower case for the rest of the name.

When I taught kindergarten kids came in writing all upper case and they struggled to correct it.

I’d do a little research and read a bit on teaching children to write to get a little background info.
Thanks! I was just wondering.
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Josiegirl 10:30 AM 01-14-2019
Originally Posted by Flowerchild:
Technically they are not developmentally approprite. I like using them as a guide though
Supposedly, coloring books are frowned upon too, but ppbbst on them who say nay. If kids enjoy them, and they're not overdone, why not use them as one tool of learning.
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Pestle 11:07 AM 01-14-2019
We work on pre-writing skills: pencil grip, tracing curved and straight lines, tracing sandpaper letters with their fingers, reciting the alphabet and beginning to associate letters with sounds. I have 2yos and 3yos. I think that, without that foundation, it'll be much more challenging for them to learn to write later.
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hwichlaz 04:06 PM 01-14-2019
They learn to write their names
Otherwise, we make letters from playdough, make collages over alphabet templates etc.
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Gemma 09:47 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
"Worksheets take away from oral language development, creativity, movement, problem solving opportunities and the sensory experiences necessary for brain development, human interactions and friendships.

Worksheets only tell you what the child knows, generally only provide one right answer and do not let children use their creativity or encourage open ended questions to expand their knowledge and interests.

Children learn best through hands-on experiences, real life experiences, interactive learning and purposeful play."


Worksheets can definitely be a fun time "filler" once in a while but they aren't usually considered DAP in use for teaching children.

More often than not however, worksheets create passive learners.
I think we just have to agree to disagree on this one cause I believe not all worksheets are the same, and the way they are used could make a significant difference ...again I mean no disrespect to whomever came up with this, it's just MHO
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Gemma 09:49 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
Supposedly, coloring books are frowned upon too, .
Another thing I disagree with!
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Blackcat31 09:51 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Gemma:
I think we just have to agree to disagree on this one cause I believe not all worksheets are the same, and the way they are used could make a significant difference ...again I mean no disrespect to whomever came up with this, it's just MHO
Hey, don't shoot the messenger......

That's the stance for NAEYC and the Early Childhood world.

I just answered the OP's question about why worksheets are supposedly "bad".
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Josiegirl 10:08 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Gemma:
Another thing I disagree with!
I know!! Heck, I've got a couple of those adult coloring books hanging around here.
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ColorfulSunburst 10:46 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Flowerchild:
I know you're not supposed to do worksheets but I found them in the resource books we have. I just want to feel like I'm teaching them something and not like they think they run the place they shoudnt do any learning. I love when they learn something and how proud they are when they do. 😍
so, do you want to feel like..., or you want to teach?
If you want to teach, you should know how to teach. If you don't know how to teach it is better do not teach.
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Gemma 11:00 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Hey, don't shoot the messenger......

That's the stance for NAEYC and the Early Childhood world.

I just answered the OP's question about why worksheets are supposedly "bad".
I didn't mean to be disrespectful towards you, or anyone. I apologize if you felt I was.

I guess I lose it a little every time I read that what I've been doing for years, is no longer ok . I would comply with all the "New studies" IF I could clearly see the benefit reflecting on today's kids, which I do not.
Again not directed at you
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Gemma 11:04 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
I know!! Heck, I've got a couple of those adult coloring books hanging around here.
During my re licensing inspection I asked the kids: "Color or draw" (that's what I usually do) the ones that chose coloring got a coloring page, and the others got a blank page...the inspector didn't say anything about the coloring page not being ok
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Blackcat31 11:25 AM 01-15-2019
Originally Posted by Gemma:
I didn't mean to be disrespectful towards you, or anyone. I apologize if you felt I was.

I guess I lose it a little every time I read that what I've been doing for years, is no longer ok . I would comply with all the "New studies" IF I could clearly see the benefit reflecting on today's kids, which I do not.
Again not directed at you
I don't think this is a new theory as they were removing worksheets and rote learning from preschool environments when my daughter was in preschool and she's 30 yrs old now.

I think there IS benefit to not using worksheets and/or coloring books but my goal isn't to have a "school-like" setting so I don't care... my kiddos get plain paper and coloring books.

Like Josie said I too have adult coloring books. I love them!

I don't do worksheets though with my kiddos but not because I don't believe or do believe in their usefulness but more because most my kiddos don't or can't write yet so they just don't work for me. I do use some that are for cutting skills...you know those kinds that you have to cut out the object and then glue it in the right area....

Those are fun!
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Flowerchild 01:17 PM 01-17-2019
Originally Posted by ColorfulSunburst:
so, do you want to feel like..., or you want to teach?
If you want to teach, you should know how to teach. If you don't know how to teach it is better do not teach.
That was rude. I was just asking how people teach writing if they do. I'm better with babies but wonder sometimes if what I do means anything. That's what I meant
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ColorfulSunburst 04:05 PM 01-17-2019
Originally Posted by Flowerchild:
That was rude. I was just asking how people teach writing if they do. I'm better with babies but wonder sometimes if what I do means anything. That's what I meant
why was it rude?
will you allow anyone to teach your kids to drive a car if that person doesn't know how to drive? Will it be rude to recommend that person do not do it?
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Flowerchild 05:23 AM 01-24-2019
Originally Posted by ColorfulSunburst:
why was it rude?
will you allow anyone to teach your kids to drive a car if that person doesn't know how to drive? Will it be rude to recommend that person do not do it?
It just came out that way. Like you told me I shouldn't be teaching and that hurt my feelings.
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Mom2Two 11:18 AM 01-24-2019
I do K-readiness for four year olds or older threes who want to. I don't stop other kiddos from joining lesson time, but I give them something more appropriate.

Me and the experts and previous posters agree that three year olds have a lot of other stuff to worry about--everything from emerging social skills to potty regression or whatever.

We have a pre-k state common core for kids who are not also in another preschool. I don't go out of my way to teach academics to kiddos whose parents have them in another preschool.

The common core for pre-k is pretty simple, and we just work on name writing, numbers, and some letter recognition and some phonics etc.

When little kids are around and wanting to join in, I have some bubble font name printouts so the little ones can color their name. Exposure to name in print is an appropriate academic thing for 2-3 year olds.

There's a free font called Print Clearly that comes with a dashed option that is a good one for making name worksheets.

I do use name worksheets and I also use online math stuff such as IXL. That's partly because I homeschool DD and I've already got that stuff available.

I use an adaptive mouse (left click only) for the k-readiness crowd.
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ColorfulSunburst 08:00 PM 01-24-2019
Originally Posted by Flowerchild:
It just came out that way. Like you told me I shouldn't be teaching and that hurt my feelings.
It is for everyone who doesn't know how to teach.
It is not possible to learn how to do it by asking on any forums. The best way to learn is by taking classes or at least read a lot about how to teach to write and read.

if we teach kids wrong we create problems for them.
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Blackcat31 08:17 AM 01-25-2019
Originally Posted by ColorfulSunburst:
It is for everyone who doesn't know how to teach.
It is not possible to learn how to do it by asking on any forums. The best way to learn is by taking classes or at least read a lot about how to teach to write and read.

if we teach kids wrong we create problems for them.
Here is a good place to start.

https://notjustcute.com/2013/10/29/w...IkA8RXpzBDzZOM

It helps explain what DAP (developmentally appropriate practice) is and how we can adapt our teaching styles and methods to support learning and growth for all ages.
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Tags:age appropriate - activities, age appropriate - curriculum, child development, prewriting activities, training courses, writing
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