In the early stages children need lots of fun, play activities. Provide lots of activities to work at a large scale using brushes on walls outside, before they move on to using chunky crayons or pencils.

For example, to develop finger strength in preparation for writing such as:

• Water and paint brushes outside on a large scale

• Dough disco (See Reception suggestions)

• Puzzles

• Threading

Help children develop fine motor skills to grasp, hold, and strengthen fingers and thumbs by scrunching paper and using pick-up tools. For example, use big tweezers to pick up plastic shapes.

Also give them opportunities to develop core strength and ‘muscle isolation’, a crucial first step towards writing.

Activities like reaching across the body to put on socks and shoes help children to use their right, or left, body side without the other side moving at the same time. Also, encourage activities like climbing, throwing and catching.

Children move through stages in their mark making. Gradually muscle control becomes more defined until they develop an ability to use straight lines and curves to form symbols.

Name writing

• Capital letter at the beginning of their name - see formation below

• RWInc handwriting phrases help with letter formation

If children show an interest in writing letters, you can support them to be ready for the next stage of their learning by encouraging them to hold a pencil correctly and form the letter starting in the right place and moving in the right direction. This will support them to develop good habits for the future.

• Listen to environmental sounds and distinguish between them.

• Starting to explore mark making using a variety of tools.

They are not decodable and the children learn to read them by sight.

The Early Learning Goal for writing is:

• to write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

• write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

• Clap syllables in words

• Draw lines that look like writing

• Begin to assign meaning to the marks they are making ("This is my name.")

• Hear initial sounds in words

• Begin to blend CVC words when they are segmented by an adult

• Write symbols and shapes that look like writing.

• Attempt to write their name.

• make letter strings. (letter strings move from L to R and down the page)

• write two to three letters in a sequence. This is usually initial and final sounds before adding medial sounds.

• muy (mummy)

• pto (potato)

• sbr (strawberry)

• write a simple phrase or sentence that can be read by others.

• write recognisable letters, most of which are formed correctly.