Help for letter and number reversals (p, q, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9)
Your child writes some numbers backwards, or mixes up p and q. Reversals like these are a normal stage in learning to write, and they fade fastest when children learn where each character starts and which way it faces.
For: Parents and teachers of children aged 4 to 7
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Save to PinterestWhy it happens
- Numbers 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 and the letters p and q all face one way. Children first learn what a shape is, and only later that its direction matters.
- Many children start a character wherever their pencil happens to be. Without a fixed start, the direction comes out differently each time.
- Reversals usually fade by about age 7 as children read and write more.
What helps
- Practise the start and the first movement: 2 begins at the top with a curve to the right; p begins with the line down.
- Point out that the numbers 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 all face right, “towards the next number”.
- Keep a number line or alphabet strip on the table to check against.
- Practise one character at a time before mixing them.
The planstep by step.
1Week 1: numbers that face right
One number a day: 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Then all five together.
2Week 2: p and q
p starts with the line, q starts with the c. Trace in turns, then find them among look-alikes.
Questions
Questions about letter and number reversals
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Which numbers do children reverse most?
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Related packs
The LetterSchool app
Between worksheets: practise in the app
The same letter shapes as this sheet, with instant feedback on every line, animations and stars. Children play, and learn the right formation.