English

To support Writing at home it's important to focus on the enjoyment and not the perfection of a task in the first instance. Many children can be put off writing by making it 'perfect'. As adults we rarely produce a piece of writing perfectly first time...so instead focus on the following:

1. Provide a place for your child to write.
   It's important the children sit correctly when writing. This will help with both the focus and the presentation.

2. Read, read, read!
   This will help them to develop their ideas and imagination.

3. Encourage your child to keep a reflective journal.
   Their journal might be a picture about what they have done today and a few words, or as they move into Key Stage 2, they may wish to keep a diary.

4. Provide authentic writing opportunities for your child.
   As adults we write lists, cards, notes, emails, diary entries and labels, so remember that these are all just as important as stories.

5. Be a writing role model.

Draw attention to when you have a reason to write. It might be writing a shopping list - but ask your child to help. Perhaps they can write their own list?

• • Start a vocabulary notebook.
    Pick out new words that your child has read, or learned and record them somewhere. These could include unfamiliar words that you may have explained to them. This might be in their Reading Record or on a pin board.

  • Ask questions.
    When you are reading, writing or talking ask questions. Why do you think this happened? I wonder why? I wonder what would happen if...?

  • Help your child publish their writing.
    This might be in their own book that you can make or online. This could be handwritten or typed. It's about helping your child record their ideas.

When children first come to school we need them to focus on their fine motor control. Children need to have well developed hand muscles to help with this. This allows them to grasp a pencil/pen/paint-brush and begin to control the marks. We then move onto letter formation and then writing words and sentences. The first word they learn to write is their name, so if there is anything you can focus on before they come to school it's their name.

As children move through Key Stage 1 they will develop more control over their letter formation and may move to cursive. It's important that children are able to see their writing has purpose - for someone else to read or to record their ideas. By the end of Key Stage 1 they need to write their capital letters and lower case letters consistently and accurately. Once a child is in Key Stage 2 we will focus on helping them to develop their own style, providing handwriting is consistent and legible children can either write in print or in cursive.