Help your child at home: with creative writing

Many children are anxious about putting pencil to paper when faced with a story writing activity. There are many reasons for this. These may be:

• because they are afraid that they will spell a word incorrectly
• some children dislike using a pencil and find handwriting difficult
• young children in particular lack imagination and creativity

• Big Elephants Can't Always Use Small Exits! ……….because
• Stationery or stationary? e for envelope or a for car
• Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move…………………………….   Rhythm

     6. Activities Use activities such as those included in the topic Summer Activities.

• Seaside Board Game reinforces vocabulary
• Summer pack dominoes
• Seaside game - use with seaside board game

Harry and Tilly

Summer activities

Summer scrapbook Free Download

• jumping activities
• walk like a crab
• do push ups on floor
• Use a chair for push-ups
• Balance on one leg. See if child can do this with closed eyes
• Walk toe-to-heel on a tape line on the floor

• Rub hands together
• Squeeze foam balls
• Rub hands in circles on each other
• Build a tower with small Lego blocks……have a race to see who can do this first!
• String small beads

• Illustrate the letter while talking with the child how each step is done
• Child repeats this using their finger and writing in the air. Make sure that they use large arm movements and talk through the steps out loud.
• Using a finger the child says the steps while writing on the table

4. Actual writing practice

• Buy a chalk board with some chalk. Using board on a table write letter on board.
• Try writing on child’s back so they have to guess the letter and then the child does this to you.
• Write with a variety of pencils and pens i.e. coloured markers, finger paint, pens etc.

Try starting by giving children short constructive tasks such as a colourful or home –made postcard to write.

Postcard about new pet

Postcards for you to send

Postcard to Grandmother

Postcard for school trip

3. It is less daunting for children to have small pieces of writing at a time. An ideal way of doing this is to suggest that they write a diary. Here is an example -  Tom's diary-writing

4.Children are often more stimulated to use their imagination and to write more fluently when they have a format to follow.

5. Papers with information about other celebrations such as’ Birthday celebrations around the  world’ or ‘Easter celebrations around the world’ are useful in increasing children knowledge and stimulating their imagination.

Spring nature booklet

An alien topic Free Download

Birthday greetings

Easter celebrations around the world

6. Children are often stimulated to be more imaginative if they are encouraged to read. I often find that boys enjoy comics and these help them increase their vocabulary and to use their imagination through the graphics. Below is a page of suggestions on reading: