Help! any ideas? Help!

[rmonette]

I'm homeschooling my 5 year old daughter she won't start "school" until August we've got writing our letters down pat but she's having major major problems writing the number 2 I've downloaded every worksheet I could find for her to trace but she just can't seem to write the number on her own, she gets extremely frustrated any ideas on how I canhelp her without having to push her over and over (which only makes things worse)

[PamE]

The best advice I've gotten for situations like this is to just back off for a while. She's only five and it will come. Continue to have her write the #2 with the other numbers and letters but take the emphasis off of it. If she needs help, take her hand and write it with her hand, so she can feel the motion of it. Some other ideas for practice (not only with the 2 but other numbers and letters) are to have her roll out strings of play-doh and form the letters, or write them with her finger or a stick in the sand. You can also let her play with shaving cream in the bathtub. Smear shaving cream on the shower wall and she can write in it like a blackboard. :) "Sky writing" is also helpful. Have her "write" her numbers and letters in the air with her finger.

I can honestly tell you that when something does not come easily to your dd if you give it time it will come. :) I fought my dd at that age on several things (shoe tying for instance)! We were both frustrated and ready to give up. I decided it wasn't worth the heartache and gave it a break for a month. When we went back to it she picked it up instantly! So I learned the hard way that pushing them to learn anything doesn't do anything but make it not fun to learn.

Are you using a curriculum with your dd now, or are you planning to this fall? Have you been to any of your state's homeschool conferences? (Those are fun but seriously overwhelming at times!) I'm hoping to go to ours in July but am not sure if we can yet. We're using Alpha/Omega and Switched on Schoolhouse this year.

Anyway... welcome to the Idea Box! :D

[Sandy Stevens]

If your dd is writing other numbers and letters, you know she has the small muscle control needed, so don't worry. If you can find any sandpaper numbers ( or make your own) and have her feel the number shape this might help. Sandy