Looking for Advice About 5 Year Old Writing Skills

In the school where I teach first and Kindergaretn we call that Kindergarten spelling, Researchers call it invented spelling. It is a GREAT first step and I would not worry about standard spelling until first grade. So she is doing great to write like an advanced Kindergartner at only 4.5. The next step is to start putting spaces in between words. Since she picked this up so easily, As long as she sometimes watches when you read signs and books and magazines she will start picking up standard spelling without any formal lessons!

This is how they do writing at my kids' school. Even in kindergarten and 2nd grade. They call it "best guess spelling." The fact that she is writing is the awesome thing. I don't think you have to do anything differently. She is already ahead of the game.

don't correct her spelling until at least first grade.
she sounds like a wonderful writer!

It is so great that your daughter is so excited by her writing!

Caveat: Do NOT start bugging her about her spelling. Especially as related to these stories. You will take the joy out of her writing, and she will stop doing it. I have learned by this mistake.

Take the stories, read them out loud with her, get excited about them, and then let her teacher teach her how to spell properly. This is a really important time in which you can make the difference between her being excited about learning, or bogged down in perfectionism.

She is very young, and she's doing great already!! Don't say another word! Just encourage this wonderful writing. Have fun!

"Education is the lighting of a fire, not the filling of a bucket."

p.s. If this doesn't make sense to you, imagine if you have just done something you were really proud of, and were sharing it with someone, and instead of sharing your joy with you, they instead told you what you should have done to make it better. If you really imagine this scenario in your head, you will understand why it's harmful to push the spelling issue in this instance.

This is the way my son wrote all through Kinder and the teacher encouraged it...in fact the students did science reports on an animal of their choice, multiple pages with illustrations...she had them bound and it is one if my favorite keepsakes of Kinder. I have to have my son read it to me because it is all phonetically written.

They also had "popcorn" words...words that "pop" up all over the place that they worked on reading and spelling. These words were stressed and the others just encouraged for them to try.

Now in first grade they have "word wall" words...they learn five a week and they have to spell them correctly as well. But the other words are encouraged for them to spell the best they can.

My friends daughter in second grade has ten spelling words every week and so they are learning how to spell even better.

Your daughter is doing great...think how wonderful it will be to compare her stories over the years as they continue to get better. Maybe her first book will be dedicated to you, mom!!

My six year old has been writing like this for a while. She is gradually correcting the words herself. She knows she is incorrectly spelling words, but I keep encouraging her...she has written many of them correctly. At this time I don't think you have anything to worry about and I would keep letting her write phonetically.

We take "popcorn" words, words that you see often i.e. in, out, he she, we, I, you...you get my point. Put them on the fridge and talk about them.

Sydnee just earned her blue ribbon at school two Friday's ago because she could read her sigh words in less than 2 minutes (50 total words)...we used flash cards, talked about the meaning...counted them in books...so much can be done. Good luck..

Added: I came back cause we just had something I had to read that my daughter wrote...because I couldn't make out a few words, I suggested she read it to me. Now I know what some of the words are so next time I can read them myself. Just FYI writing and reading are two very separate but combined things. My daughter reads at a 3rd grade level...but spells at 1st grade (which is what she's in)

That is perfectly normal. Of course she writes phonetically, she doesn't know how they are spelled yet.

Kidspell is very normal and encouraged in pre K and K. I would just mention the spacing thing. Tell her that when she writes her words, put 1 "finger space" after each word and this helps other people be able to read her great stories. Even point out the spaces in between words in a book.

Also in a month of so, I'd introduce some sight words - very common words that aren't spelled phonetically - like "I", "was", "the", etc. Put them on a laminated paper and let her use it as a study guide. So, she can have it with her when she writes her stories and use it as a reference.

Just encourage her to keep reading and writing. The teachers at my son's school (he's in 2nd grade now) encourage the kids to just write. They start off spelling things in "kid speak" and eventually the correct spellings start coming through as they learn more new words each year. Just encourage her excitement in doing this!

At 5, she's doing a fabulous job. Once she gets into school, she'll get lists of spelling words to study, and as she reads more and more, she'll learn the basic rules that many English words follow, as well as the irregular words.

I'd just relax and let her enjoy what she's doing. My nearly-six grandson, who just started kindergarten, writes like this, and we'll treasure his early attempts forever. Love of reading and writing is much more important in a child's early academic life than accurate spelling.

Even if it turns out she's a terrible speller later on, and this skill depends on development of certain brain areas which vary between individuals, she can still be successful. My favorite English teacher ever, and my husband, who writes science curricula for a living, are both poor spellers.

I love your question! And what your daughter is doing is pretty advanced for her age. Don't bother correcting her at all. As she gets more advanced (on her own) she'll start to notice differences between what she's writing and what she's reading and she'll be motivated to correct herself. I know it's a leap of faith, but it really works and it means so much more if she is allowed to correct herself. Spelling is super, super hard because there are so many ways to make the same sound. It just takes time and familiarity, which she will get from reading and from working with you. By all means if she asks your how to spell something or if her word is right, tell her! But don't correct without being asked. Also I like to point out that this is just how kids learn--I was telling my son yesterday that I used to "write cursive" by making loops on a page and pretending it was writing. Far from being "wrong" it was a first step in the direction of writing. When I was ready, I started writing actual letters then actual words, then actual sentences. Its a process and when you just take in the awesomeness of watching her brain figure this stuff out (and forget about being worried about the future) it's cool for you and great for her! It sounds like you're really already there. Sounds like you've got a smart and creative little girl. :)

They called that kid writing in my daughter's kindergarten class. The teacher would then write the correct spelling below each word.

Show her how to separate the words first. So that it is wunc upon a tim. Then teach her how to spell Once as it comes from one. And tell her about silent e
which is a memorization thing.
You can lovingly correct her spelling. Let her get up and write everyday. She was born to do it. Don't make the spelling a big issue just show kindly how words look in writing. And, tell her it was made up by the printers who did the early books. Uniformity came later when we all needed to read the same information no matter what dialect of English we spoke.

That's excellent for her age. That is how they start until they are older. You can help her by having her write something and then you translate. Don't correct her just yet at this age. Praise her a bunch and as she reads more and learns spelling, it will come.

I agree that at this age you should continue to just let her write and use the phonetic spelling. As others have mentioned, you can start showing her how to put space in between words - explain to her that it is easier to read and understand that way.

I do have to clarify a few things that others here have said though. While the kids do start getting spelling words in first and second grade, they are only expected to spell them correctly on the test at the end of the week in which they are given the word. They are not expected to then spell the word correctly when using it in writing for some other assignment. They refer to that as applied spelling and the teachers and schools do not focus on making the kids use correct applied spelling until third grade. Neither the kids nor the parents are given any notice that this is going to be expected and the kids are expected to use correct applied spelling from the start of third grade. So, while they have never been corrected in their writings up to this point, they are all of a sudden expected to do it correctly and are scored lower if they do not. Shouldn't we start sometime in first grade actually correcting their applied spelling and expecting them to correctly spell words we know that they know how to spell when they use them in written work? Despite what some here have said, it is not in fact something that just happens. They learn from the beginning that when writing they can and should just spell the words the way they sound and the brain simply engages to do that and does not engage "hey, I just learned how to really spell this word and I should spell it that way." You have to teach them to do that.

I haven't read the other responses, but here's my $.02...

It sounds like your daughter is off to a wonderful, creative, enthusiastic, and PRECOCIOUS start. The most important thing I got from your post is that she's excited about writing, and loves it.

Kids are supposed to be phonetic spellers at this point. My son just started kindergarten, and the teachers repeatedly ask us NOT to correct their spelling. The best thing we can do for them at this point is to encourage them to write, and write often. If we start correcting their spelling, they may start to feel self-conscious about writing and lose confidence.

Ex K-1 teacher here. There are two types of writing. Creative and spelling.

Your child is doing creative and spelling, grammar, and punctuation is not important at this time. Fluency is. I used to let them dictate a story to me and I would type it out on the typewriter (dating myself) so they could illustrate it. But don't do it very often.

At a separate time you can work on letter formation and spelling gradually emphasizing correctness. A great resourse is Children's Bookstore. There is one in Kent, and one up north. It is also on the net at www.childrens-bookshop.com/. Lots of teaching materials.

But what you want now is ideas, creativity, and enthusiasm.

My husband and a coworker still write phonetically. She is just learning and that is good. I wouldn't put too much pressure on her right now about it.

How exciting that your 4yr old (almost 5) is writing. I have a 3yr old (almost 4) and its a battle to get him to color. Personally, I would do exactly what you are doing... encourage her to make up stories...to draw.. to take ownership of her creativity and her world. Soon enough, she will be in school (or maybe homeschooled) and the teachers will make an effort to "fix" the grammer and spelling. Reading together is important. She will see the words and sentences in the books, as they should be. What she is getting now is the practice and fine motor skills necessary to really start the writing process. The grammer and such can come later. They say, grammer can be learned through conversation. Beginner reader books, like Dick and Jane, and Hop on Pop can halp with some of this... Don't worry too much. Have fun. Read together. Write together. Tell stories, draw, act it out. Congratulations on having such a curious and creative force in your life!