A free 3-minute check that shows where the trouble is
A sentence needs words your child can write, a capital and a period, spaces, and an idea of their own. A child who cannot write a sentence is usually stuck on one of them. Ask your child to write one sentence about anything they like, then do this check together. It takes about three minutes.
Already sure this is the problem? Skip the check and see the 10-day plan: My First Sentences
How to do it: do not teach and do not correct. Just listen, and tap what your child could do. Nothing you tap is sent anywhere.
Look at the sentence your child wrote. Tap each thing that is true.
Tap each mark that is there.
Tap each thing that is true.
What happens when your child starts to write?
A sentence asks a young child to do many things at once: hold an idea, spell every word, and remember the capital, the spaces and the period. While one gets attention, the others slip. Most children write their first short sentences in kindergarten and first grade. Taking the parts one at a time is what helps.
It is not a test for a learning difficulty. It only shows where to start. If your child is seven or older and a short sentence is still very hard, if writing hurts, or nothing changes after daily practice, tell their teacher what you saw.
More help: How to help a child write sentences: a guide · The spelling plan · Free sentence writing paper
