Ideas for encouraginv writing?

[mumofone]

IM looking for ideas on how to help a young boy (3) learn to write. I know there's often a focus on boys and writing too, has anyone got any good tips or advice they could share with me please?

[Maza]

Well, first of all you have to think about what exactly you mean by 'learn to write'. Do you mean forming letters/handwriting, or spelling, or writing sentences, or grammar, or punctuation, or using exciting verbs...

The first thing you need to do is find out what your three year old can do/knows about writing. Then you need to think of his interests and plan experiences/set up your environment in a way which will interest him and meet his needs/next steps. Look in the development matters - is he where he should 'be' for his age range? What can you see in the development matters that might suggest what you should do? I can't think of the name of the document which we were all discussing on here the other day - something like 'What to expect when' (I'm sure someone will come along who knows what I mean!) will point you in the right direction.

Are there any courses that you could go on as it is such a huge subject? There is a lovely book called 'Foundations of Literacy' by Sue Palmer which will give you some lovely ideas. Try and get hold of a copy of 'Letters and Sounds'. You might be surprised at all the things they need to be able to do before they can 'write' and some of the activity suggestions won't even involve putting pen to paper or seem linked to 'writing' at all.

[lisbet]

Some ideas in the right-hand column on page 31 of Development Matters:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2012/03/Development-Matters-FINAL-PRINT-AMENDED.pdf

Lots of play activities can help children build the underpinning understanding and skills they will need for writing though. For example 'painting' the wall with rollers and water is encouraging children to associate mark making with fun, picking up small items with children's tweezers is developing hand muscles etc etc etc :)

ETA Sorry, didn't see pp had already suggested Development Matters! :blush:

[FloraDora]

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gateway-to-Writing-Boys-and-writing.pdf

If you are talking about emergent writing - The key is to link it with what they are interested in and make a purpose for writing.
My LO writes squiggly lines for signs on his road map.
He wrote a shopping list the other day as he was very keen to go shopping for a magazine for our book corner.
He writes the labels for our veg patch.
Once a month or so we send his parents a card - he squiggles away in that and draws pictures..
He loves writing on maps he can do an accurate x marks the spot on pirate island.

I have his name in a magnetic tray with magnetic letters and he uses a crane that lifts magnetic things to put his letters in to make his name...Any actual letter writing I do is in sand/ salt / mud, he writes in the mud on our walks in the wood with sticks. He likes whiteboards more than paper.