Kid's First Writing

My 3rd kid, Ian, has tried to write "Merry Christmas" last Dec.

Look at Ian's writing. I remember, he was very proud after write his own name.

Do you know that writing stage in every child is different? I mean, for one child could be on his 3rd years old, for other child maybe on his 5th year. How we could know he/she has reached the writing stage? As long as my experience, when he starting to like pencil or crayon, that’s the time he is ready to learn writing. Just try to give him some papers for scratching first, it’s ok. First time, ‘erase’ the meaning of writing in our mind, if we mentioned writing in his stage is like the way we write letter. It doesn’t valid for him.
Let him explore. Never push him to do something we liked. Almost all the kids don’t like to follow our ‘order’ how to write alphabet a, b, c, etc like the way we did.

How to introduce him about letter and word?
I would share my simple tips.
Prepare white paper and round big tip red marker (I choose red because it’s the most eye catching color), cut the paper into 10 cm wide (the long of the paper depends on the words you write). Look around to every room at your house; write down the name of furniture /things in the paper (small letter, please, not capital). You can attach the paper to the furniture. For example: attached the word “refrigerator” in the refrigerator’s door, etc. For the first time we could give him a short ‘tour’, ask him to follow you to see the words and letters. You can read for him every paper you attached, “This is refrigerator, this is…..” later when our kids see the words, every time he passed the refrigerator, we hope he could familiar with the word. Repeat it only when he likes. Other time ask him to play “guess and point”. You asked, ”Where’s the refrigerator?”, You know what, he could point it!

What the first letter he should write down? His NAME
(I read this from some books about how to teach children write.)
Write down his and your names in a post-it paper, stick to his and your chest and tell him, ”You are IAN , I’m MOMMY” while you point the word. Prepare one sheet of paper, write again his name slowly and let him write too. No matter what he will write down, give him an appreciation. After that, every time he want to draw or ‘write’, don’t forget for always write down his name at the corner of the paper and spell the letter, IAN : I-A-N. You could write down first for him, as time goes by he will naturally copy what you did. Usually kids will write and spell his name not in order, IAN could be A-I-N, and it’s ok. You don’t have to make it a serious problem because it’s natural. The important thing is he has already known which alphabet that composed his name and…he write down the first important word!
As a mother always be proud of him.