3 year old not able or interested in writing letters.

[Anonymous]

And he doesn’t like coloring. He knows all his letters and phonetic sounds but has no interest at all in holding a pencil!

Are weak hands a thing? He doesn’t have any other physical issues. Normal kid.

[Anonymous]

Leave it alone. Let him scribble if he wants to. Play with duplos, legos, play doh. All those things strengthen hands.

[Anonymous]

Thank God. Kids who are made to write at 3 are just developing terrible habits, and with no handwriting instruction in Kindergarten these days, they often don't get undone. Stay away from both writing instruction and coloring (drawing is fine, painting is fantastic) for 3 year olds!!!

-- Former preschool and elementary school teacher

[Anonymous]

He is 3! Let him be!

[Anonymous]

Very normal. You might want to try the Kumon First book of tracing.

[Anonymous]

Buy some playdoh and call it a day.

Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Can try a chalk board up on a wall. Lots of duplos and playdough. Squeezing clothespins or spray bottles. Popping bubble wrap. Climbing & crawling. Tearing paper etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very normal. You might want to try the Kumon First book of tracing.

Why? Other than teaching your kid that learning is boring and to be resisted, and setting up bad habits, what is the purpose of this book?

[Anonymous]

Developmentally the things 3 year olds should be able to draw are circles. Whole letters aren't expected until later.

[Anonymous]

Why would he have any need to write at age 3? If you make him do it, he’ll really hate writing.

Low muscle tone is a thing, but I wouldn’t assume he has it. I have a dd with ADHD and low muscle tone and her handwriting is atrocious. I also have a neurotypical child who is a prolific writer with excellent penmanship, but she certainly didn’t write at age 3.

[Anonymous]

My 5yo didn't draw or write until kindergarten. He was extremely verbal and had good gross motor skills, but his fine motor skills lagged until he was 5. He also wasn't interested in drawing/writing until then. His teachers suggested things like making bead necklaces, using fuse beads, using chopsticks to pick pom poms out of a jar, and using special shaped crayons to develop his fine motor skills. But neither they nor we were worried. Another educator emphasized that kids develop different skills at different speeds, and they don't expect them to sort of even out until around 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

Some times the avoidance of things like coloring (not forming letters) or using play dough or anything requiring longish periods of finger manipulation indicates a problem, sometimes it doesn't.

I pointed the same issue out to my kids' preschool teacher and was told not to worry. Same thing from the first grade teacher. By 4th grade they were really annoyed with him and he kept getting in trouble for not writing more (and legibly). In hindsight, we should have started OT right away. At 18 his printing is still barely illegible, and he was never able to learn cursive. Took forever to learn to tie shoes. Does not take notes in high school because it distracts him from being able to listen, as the act of printing takes up too much concentration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Developmentally the things 3 year olds should be able to draw are circles. Whole letters aren't expected until later.

OP here. He’s been able to draw circles in the dirt since he was two. Does that count?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some times the avoidance of things like coloring (not forming letters) or using play dough or anything requiring longish periods of finger manipulation indicates a problem, sometimes it doesn't.

I pointed the same issue out to my kids' preschool teacher and was told not to worry. Same thing from the first grade teacher. By 4th grade they were really annoyed with him and he kept getting in trouble for not writing more (and legibly). In hindsight, we should have started OT right away. At 18 his printing is still barely illegible, and he was never able to learn cursive. Took forever to learn to tie shoes. Does not take notes in high school because it distracts him from being able to listen, as the act of printing takes up too much concentration.

I’m sorry your son has those issues, PP.

Your post was very informative and I thank you for writing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And he doesn’t like coloring. He knows all his letters and phonetic sounds but has no interest at all in holding a pencil!

Are weak hands a thing? He doesn’t have any other physical issues. Normal kid.

3 year olds don't need to hold a pencil or have interest in colors. Is this your first kid? He/she is going to be burnt out if you push too hard. Relax!