Why Your Child Writes Letters Backward & Why It’s Usually Okay

So, your child is routinely writing some letters—or maybe even entire words—backward. If you’ve never seen something like this before, it could cause confusion or even alarm. Before you worry, take a deep breath! Letter reversals are one of the most common (and usually harmless) parts of early writing development.

Is Writing Letters Backward Normal?

The answer to this question is completely dependent on your child. If your child has yet to complete second grade, the answer is an easy one: yes, because your child is still learning. Memorizing the correct way to write 52 letters (26 capital, 26 lowercase) can be tricky for growing brains, especially when many of those letters reuse the same few shapes over and over again. Even if they are taught to write with a high-quality handwriting curriculum, mistakes will happen, and your child will likely outgrow reversals as they develop their handwriting skills. 

In children just beginning to write, you may see the phenomenon of mirror writing, where children will write entire words or sentences backward, or even upside-down! This is developmentally normal, and often very impressive to watch.

What if your child has completed second grade, and they still write some letters backward? This is where the answer is a little more complicated. It may be that your child is taking a bit more time to outgrow letter reversals—this could be the result of a poor-quality handwriting curriculum, or simply a bad habit your child has trouble kicking.  In some cases, however, letter reversals can be indicative of a learning difficulty.

It is important to note that letter reversals do not automatically mean your child has a learning difficulty. Similarly, not all children with learning difficulties will reverse letters. Letter reversals that persist after adequate handwriting instruction could be a sign that a child struggles with directionality, laterality, motor skills, or even executive function, which are more often and more concretely linked to learning difficulties.

When and How to Intervene

Although letter reversals are normal and expected before third grade, you can certainly guide your child to correct them as soon as you notice them. Oftentimes, a prompt as simple as “Oops—let’s double check this letter!” paired with a visual diagram or demonstration of the correct formation can help. Then, after a few instances of correcting a reversed letter, your child may begin to identify their own mistakes and self-correct, eventually leading to letter reversals no longer being a struggle point.

Sometimes writing backward can be a bit more difficult for children under eight to correct, even with help to identify mistakes. In some cases, your child may benefit from reviewing fundamental skills. It is difficult to tell from letter reversals alone which fundamental skill your child needs support with. The table below may help to guide you in supporting your child’s writing development.

If your child continually reverses many letters even after extensive practice, corrections, and reteaching, further intervention may be necessary. This is especially true as your child reaches third grade and also struggles with other writing or spelling tasks.

In these cases, it may be worthwhile to speak with your child’s teacher about their writing performance. Your child’s teacher may provide more insight into why your child is struggling with handwriting. They may also be able to help you request evaluations to receive services during school, if needed. Occupational therapy or tutoring that specifically targets handwriting can also be a big help but these options can be less accessible for some families.

Regardless of whether your child works on handwriting in school, occupational therapy, or tutoring, always be sure to provide extra practice at home. This will reinforce the skills they’re learning, strengthen muscle memory, and help build confidence and consistency in their writing.

Setting Your Child Up For Success

Let’s say your first child struggled greatly with writing backward or with specific letter reversals. Now, with your younger child, you are hoping that they won’t endure the same difficulties as they learn to write. You may wonder: Can letter reversals be prevented?

In many cases, the answer is yes! Letter reversals will almost always happen as children are first learning to write, but a high-quality handwriting curriculum makes all the difference in ensuring those reversals don’t stick around for long. Many attributes that make a handwriting curriculum high-quality are rooted in the science of reading. 

Much like reading instruction, handwriting instruction should be explicit, multisensory, systematic, structured, and cumulative. Research shows that lowercase letters should be taught before capital letters, and grouping them based on formation groups, initial stroke, and laterality can actually reduce reversals. Even before lowercase letters are taught, a high-quality handwriting program will cover fundamental pre-writing skills that address directionality, laterality, visual discrimination, and motor skills.

 All of these qualities are present in Brainspring’s Handwriting: Lessons for Print program, which is suitable for use both inside the classroom and outside for additional practice.

By understanding what’s normal and knowing when to step in, you can support your child’s writing development with patience and positivity. Using the right tools will help them gain the skills they need to write with confidence and ease!