My Child Is Writing Their Name Backwards/Mirrored. Is Something Wrong?
"Lydia"
My Child Is Writing Their Name Backwards/Mirrored. Is Something Wrong?
By Tracy Riekenberg
This common question comes up from time to time, and it is one that I asked about my own child when she was around three years old. It can feel frustrating to watch your child write their name “correctly” time and time again, and then all of a sudden, the name is mirrored. Rest assured, this is a completely normal phenomenon that happens to many children as they learn to write and is usually of no concern.
Why do children do this? A few years ago, I had a realization that the children in preschool have only been on the planet for three, four, or five years. ONLY three years! So, when you put learning to write into that perspective, asking a preschool child to master something completely new and as foreign as writing is a big task. Writing requires so many concrete and abstract skills that a three-, four-, or five-year-old hasn’t mastered yet. The child will need a good pincer grip, mindful attention span, strong upper body and core strength, and a desire to want to write. They will need to have a concept of what a word even is, as well as what role letters play in making a word. The child will need to understand that writing and reading go from left to right in the English language, and they will need to know that their name is a unique word made up of a certain set of letters. These are very high-order skills for a young child!
Children who know how to write the letters in their name but put them in reverse or mirror order are often on the exact right path toward mastering writing. They have most likely practiced their name over and over again, with and without guidance from adults. A young child’s brain is a sponge, soaking up information at lightning speed and sorting it as time goes on. When a child who has been practicing writing their name sits down to write, their brain just tells their hand, “Write your name.” The brain knows the letters, even the basic look and order of the name, but the hand just sometimes forms the letters in reserve order. For most children, as they practice writing and reading their name - and gain more of those abstract reading and writing skills - their brain will eventually tell the hand, “Hold up! This isn’t right,” and fix the name. Typically, children may write in reverse/mirror from time to time until age seven, so this may even come up in kindergarten and beyond.
What can you do to help? It’s important to let the child who is writing their name - frontwards, backwards, mirrored, however - know that they are working hard and learning. Encourage name-writing and reading whenever the child is interested. Stay away from saying that a backwards name was “wrong;” instead point out that the letters also make their name when put in frontwards order. Try some unique ways to practice their name, not just pencil to paper. They could write their name with their finger in sand, in the air with their whole arm, using finger paint on an easel, tracing over letters you have already written, and more.
At All Seasons, we practice name-writing both formally, in name-writing journals, and informally, when we ask children to write their name on their artwork. We support their growth and use many of the methods listed above. Throughout the year, we will see mirrored writing self-correct or correct with a bit of teacher guidance. We don’t rush it or force it, though. After all, they have only been on this planet for three, four, or five years. There’s plenty of time ahead for mastering name-writing.
