Letters!

You will probably remember that in the fall, children worked on learning how to write their initials using proper letter formation.  Children have been writing their initials on their work all year and we have continued to work on exposing children to letters in the form of games, puzzles, talking about letters and sounds in our morning message, and at other times throughout the day.  

Some children are noticing letters in books or on signs or within other forms of print.  Some children have been finding that they want to write words in their books or in messages.  Letters are everywhere!  

Now is the time in the school year when we are revisiting forming letters in a formal way. This time children are working on writing their whole name.  Some children know how to write all of the letters in their name and others do not.  We are focusing on proper letter formation with everyone.  We want to guide children in making letters from the top down and from left to right.  

They are making letters using big lines, little lines, big curves and small curves.   When children engage in this process with friends, they are working on forming more than just the letters in their own names and they may be challenged to think about the letters and sounds in their friends’ names as well.  

No matter where children are in the process, it is a good idea to reinforce the habit of starting letters at the top.  Remember the song? (to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it")...

Where do you start your letters?

At the TOP!

Where do you start your letters?

At the TOP!

If you want to make a letter, then you better, better, better.

Remember to start it

...at the TOP!

At the top!

Starting letters at the top will help children to develop efficiency and fluency in the writing process. In elementary school, when children have a story to write and ideas to articulate, and when spelling and punctuation are introduced, we want them to be fluent at making the letters so that they are not slowed down by having to think about how to form the letters as they go. It will become second nature and automatic so that they are able to get their ideas onto the page quickly.  Right now, as children in the Nest create works of art, write books and send messages to their friends, they have a need to write in order to identify their work, express ideas, and communicate.

Translation: "BOOM.  MEOW"!

Children have been building their letters with straight and curved lines at the light table.  It has been fun for them to see their names written with such large letters!  

Key to above:

“SYDNEY”

“SB” (initials), “ZOE,” and “ZC” (initials)

And we are working through each letter in each child’s name using “wet, dry, try.”  On a chalk board, each child goes through a process of naming the lines as they form each letter three times. 



To make M, the words we would use to describe the action on making the lines are, “Big line, frog jump back to the top, big line, big line, big line.”  Capital B would be, “Big line, frog jump back to the top, small curve, small curve.”  While saying these words, first children use a small wet sponge to erase the teacher's chalk letter, tracing the model.  Then they repeat the process by drying it with a towel using the same motions, tracing again, and finally they rewrite it with chalk. Wet, dry, try! 

 

Children have also been practicing writing their names, starting the letters at the top, on paper. Soon they will be signing in each day to continue this practice.

Many children persist in starting their letters at the bottom. But the more we can reinforce starting letters at the top, the more fluent children’s writing will become.  As your child is writing his or her name or other letters at home, you can always encourage him or her to start each letter from the top with a simple and joyful, “Where do you start your letters?”  

At the top!