Handwritting

• Children need to develop the necessary gross and fine motor skills before they are able to hold a pencil and write.
• Ensuring your child has lots of opportunities for physical play on large equipment, e.g. at playgrounds on climbing frames (gross motor) and using small tools and equipment, e.g. threading, pegging washing on a line (fine motor) is incredibly helpful.
• Encourage your child to write, for meaning, at any given opportunity and also observe you writing for meaning. For example, writing invitations, cards, jotting down a shopping list, keeping score in a game.
• When supporting your child to have a go at writing be really positive about every effort and encourage them to sound out the word and then have a go at writing that letter.
• Use the letter formation sheet below to help them form the letters correctly.
• Do not get them to copy over or trace over letters. This teaches them that you can write and they can’t.