Most parents find that there are moments in their children's lives that seem particularly special. One of those must be the point when your child turns around and says 'Look, I can write my name now!'

This proud statement may be followed up by a slow and possibly torturous attempt at showing you just how it's done. The final result might be wobbly, a few letters might be in the wrong order or even upside down. But nevertheless, it is a turning point. Your child is now officially writing. JK Rowling and Terry Pratchett better watch out. There's a new kid in town!

Well, maybe not. Writing, it turns out, is quite a complicated affair. For fluent writing, children need to have cracked reading and then mastered the art of spelling and punctuation. This means that most children do not get going until they are in their third year of school.

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