Help please - literacy and writing

[AnneS]

I've made a load of labels with pictures and text for toys and that, I am now looking at creating some sheets for writing does it matter what font i use? I was going to use comic sans as its nice and clear... what sorts of things should i encourage him to write? he is pretty good at writing an abbrevation of his first name so i was thinking to do a sheet of his full first name then a sheet of his first and second name? a sheet of numbers from 1-10 and do you think i should do a sheet of mum, dad , brothers name ?? Then the alphabet?

what other activites can i do for this?

we made some menus yesterday using magazine pictures and letters which everyone loved

he has speech issues so asking him to read aloud is out, we practice sounds from speech therapist, we share books, we do loads of mark making and i encourage him to say sounds and words back to me and repeat the ones he doesnt get right.

i know speech and literacy work closely together he is good with sounds just cannot blend them to form words.

anyway im now rambling, thank you in advance for any help xxxx

[hectors house]

How old is the child and does this child also go to Nursery or pre-school?

I have just lost a child because I refused to sit down and do her "phonic" handwriting book with her - nothing more boring than sitting writing the same thing over and over again - I just plan to have mark making equipment of varying types (pens, pencils, paints, paint pens, chalks, aqua draw) out everyday and encourage children to write over their name when I have written it on their art work. We also look at street signs and try to find starting initial in everyones names.

[AnneS]

Hes three and starting preschool in september.

i have pens, crayons, and chalk out a lot and sometimes the computer and we have on of those magic writer board things too.

Although he doesnt talk he is great at communicating and seems very keen to start writing like the 'big ones' (in year 1 and 2) which is why i was thinking to make him up some cards to trace or write over

i was just thinking about hiding letters in a ricebox or something?

[sarah707]

At 3 the most important thing to do is play - you can point out letters when you are out, in books, at the library etc.

I think hiding them in rice is a lovely idea but don't quiz him on them it's guaranteed to put him off finding them if he thinks its a test.

Enjoy literacy and you will be supporting his life long love of words :D

[DickDock]

I've made a load of labels with pictures and text for toys and that, I am now looking at creating some sheets for writing does it matter what font i use? I was going to use comic sans as its nice and clear... what sorts of things should i encourage him to write? he is pretty good at writing an abbrevation of his first name so i was thinking to do a sheet of his full first name then a sheet of his first and second name? a sheet of numbers from 1-10 and do you think i should do a sheet of mum, dad , brothers name ?? Then the alphabet?

what other activites can i do for this?

we made some menus yesterday using magazine pictures and letters which everyone loved

he has speech issues so asking him to read aloud is out, we practice sounds from speech therapist, we share books, we do loads of mark making and i encourage him to say sounds and words back to me and repeat the ones he doesnt get right.

i know speech and literacy work closely together he is good with sounds just cannot blend them to form words.

anyway im now rambling, thank you in advance for any help xxxx


Speech may be connected closely with literacy however its pointless bringing in something the child doesn't understand or is ready for. Encourage a good basic grasp of speech sounds and formations, good listening skills, good turn taking in conversations and the rest follows.
I have supported a child for a few years now with severe speech and lanuage problems and we totally ignored labels and so on (which I believe is not really necessary anyway - as a childminder we deal in real life text rich environments and i don't my home taken over with plastic and paper labels that to my mind serve no purpose than to please ofsted

[moggy]

At age 3 I would not be encouraging him to write, TBH.
I would be offering drawing opportunities, mark making and gross and fine motor skills activities- writing comes waaaay later for most (especially boys). Even if he was attempting to form letter shapes independently I would not make a big fuss about it. I would still keep it all play based and build up the basics like arm control and finger strength, as well as building a love of books, stories, poems etc. They can so easily be pushed too far too soon and lose interest, or even get frustrated and anti-writing/reading when they really do not need to be at that stage at all at that age. There is plenty of time for leaning letters, at 3 they should play play play and share books!

[Christi]

All they've said, it's all about communication, language, rhymes, physical manipulation and confidence at that stage. If you do want to use printed text for anything, look for a font which uses a instead of a!

[blue bear]

I have a three year old that wants to write, there is always paper, pens, paint, glue, etx available on the craft table, pens outside for writing on mirrors, paint, chalk, sticks for writing in mud.
I offer things like rice for mark making with fingers, cornflour, shaving foam, whipped cream, dry and wet sand.
We have magnetic drawing boards and laminated plain paper to write on and wipe off.

My lo loves writing shopping list, postcards/letters home, menu ordering, from takeaway menus and using imagination.
I have paper and pens In The role play, so things like notebooks in the builders yard etc, the story sack of the jolly postman is very popular with postcards, cards, paper and real 1 pence stamps.

He really enjoys pointing out letters on sign post etc when put and about, he traces over the letters with his fingers (signs in bus station yard etc)


Can't say I pre prepare writing activities as such that you have described, I take the lead from mindee and follow his interest.

[AnneS]

ok fab thank you...

during the day we do just play and scribble and that its just when the older lot are here he starts drawing zigzags or writing the first 3 letters of his name. he loves to draw people at the mo as well..

its hard, i say he is three but in a lot of ways he is like a 4 year old, just he cant talk much.. we had a massive breakthrough yesterday though he said 4 :clapping: but typically when mum came he clammed up lol

Anyway so i was thinking it would be nice to play in the day and scribble etc and then when the older ones are about and he wants to do what they are doing, give him the cards or something to practice with.. the older ones have a sounds card to help with spellings so it'd just be so he feels like them but if he doesnt do it then he doesnt do it if ya get me?