Understanding Your Child’s Writing Problem

Have you noticed that when your child is writing they have really messy handwriting or a lot of staring mistakes? Or do they tend to stare out the window or get distracted by a toy and end up writing nothing? If that’s the case, don’t worry. These difficulties are not uncommon in children, and they are nothing to be concerned about. It’s natural that kids develop writing skills at different speeds than their peers and it can take longer for some than others. It’s also true that some children may need a little extra help to improve their writing.

Main Problems with Writing

There are two main area of writing that children may have difficulties with, either their actual handwriting or their spelling, like previously mentioned, or they have trouble expressing their ideas through writing. It’s possible that your child has difficulty in one area, or in both. This article will explore writing problems and how to help your child.

Children with Messy Handwriting

Learning good handwriting skills is the aspect of writing referred to as transcription. Transcription also includes spelling. When a child struggles with this aspect, it’s to do with how well they are able to present their thoughts. According to Yolanda B. Savoy (educator at Study demic):

“It’s possible that kids have really good ideas and are very creative and organized, but they’re just not sure how to share them or express them with others through writing. Teachers might struggle to figure out the words and sentences that these children write, and it’s possible that the children themselves can’t read what they wrote.”

Spotting This Struggle

Children who have a difficult time with handwriting might have trouble placing their letters and their words on the page, making their letters the right size, even holding or controlling hayamix.com their pencil. You might even notice that their writing isn’t in a straight line. This can all happen for a number of reasons, and it might just be that it’s taking them longer than other to develop the skill.

Difficulty Expressing Ideas

Some children who have writing problems don’t have poor handwriting. It might be more about getting their ideas together and planning how to express them in writing. This is what’s considered written expression. Children might have an idea but they don’t know where to start, or they can’t come up with what they want to say. They might even start writing but then be stuck about where to go next. Written expression can be caused by poor organizational or planning skills, among other factors.

What to Do Next

There are things you can do as a parent with the educators to help your child improve their writing, no matter the reason behind the struggle. The main first step is finding out that your child struggle with their writing skills. Once you notice this, it’s important to keep observing them as they write and take notes about what you see during this process. A useful recommendation from Peter Wiley, (experienced tutor) is:

“If you can tell that there’s a pattern that’s recurring and not improving, you should talk to someone about the next steps. This can be either their teacher or their pediatrician, as both should have a lot of information and advice for you.”

You’ll want to learn as much as you can, because that will make it easier to come up with strategies to help your child with their writing skills and improve. Consider getting a free school evaluation to get a good overall look at your child’s strengths and what they have more difficulty with.

Summary

Any child that struggles with a skill can feel that they’re not smart, and this can have a damaging impact on their self-esteem. It’s important to share with them that everyone has difficulties with certain things, and everyone has strengths too. Discover their strengths and praise them for it, and share your own difficulties and strengths. By keeping an eye on their progress and sharing this with their teachers, you can help your child develop their writing skills without harming their self-confidence.