Early Writing
A lot of children learn about writing a lot even before they go to school as elements of language are surrounding us. They are surrounded by print: on road signs, food packets, in books, magazines and catalogues. Words are connected and we use them only within the certain bonds. In the same way, especially in homes where people write things down, children learn a lot about writing through joining in and having a go.
Getting Confident
When your child writes, first of all she has to decide what to say. After that it should be written down. These two key aspects of writing, planning and actual writing, are constantly taught and practiced throughout the primary years. Mastering the writing skills of spelling, handwriting and punctuation is important. It makes possible to express their opinion in words. The flow of writing is spoilt if children have to write very slowly because handwriting skills haven't been developed or they need to keep stopping to look up spellings.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to spot mistakes in writing, so parents often worry when spellings are wrong, work appears untidy or a full stop is missing. Your child, particularly in the early stages, will find it difficult to focus on everything at once. Don’t try to find errors at first, read attentively what the writing says. Try to pick out the best bits to praise: it could be a great ending or a clear description. If the child uses words in some extraordinary way, you should praise him; despite he can use it in some grammatically wrong way.
Of course, it's important that children eventually learn to write accurately, too. While correcting the spelling of your child mention not al but some certain not numerous mistakes. If spelling lists are sent home try to make practice fun by playing games that encourage careful listening to the sounds in words and looking for letter patterns.
Planning
Young children usually write about subjects of immediate interest, in a style that sounds like speech written down. Writing styles are as they are according to these changes. Through constantly hearing how written language differs from speech, children become aware of writing conventions and phrases such as 'Once upon a time...' eventually the more formal structure begins to appear in their texts. Children learn to use paragraphs and to structure their writing to build up drama or develop an argument.
To ensure this happens in a systematic way most schools now follow the guidance of the National Literacy Strategy, which includes poetry, fiction and non-fiction writing in each term's teaching plan. Before your children are to write any written task, ask them what are they going to write about. Then ask them to keep re-reading what they have written, asking themselves: 'Does it sound right?'
A lot of children learn about writing a lot even before they go to school as elements of language are surrounding us. They are surrounded by print: on road signs, food packets, in books, magazines and catalogues. Words are connected and we use them only within the certain bonds. In the same way, especially in homes where people write things down, children learn a lot about writing through joining in and having a go.
Getting Confident
When your child writes, first of all she has to decide what to say. After that it should be written down. These two key aspects of writing, planning and actual writing, are constantly taught and practiced throughout the primary years. Mastering the writing skills of spelling, handwriting and punctuation is important. It makes possible to express their opinion in words. The flow of writing is spoilt if children have to write very slowly because handwriting skills haven't been developed or they need to keep stopping to look up spellings.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to spot mistakes in writing, so parents often worry when spellings are wrong, work appears untidy or a full stop is missing. Your child, particularly in the early stages, will find it difficult to focus on everything at once. Don’t try to find errors at first, read attentively what the writing says. Try to pick out the best bits to praise: it could be a great ending or a clear description. If the child uses words in some extraordinary way, you should praise him; despite he can use it in some grammatically wrong way.
Of course, it's important that children eventually learn to write accurately, too. While correcting the spelling of your child mention not al but some certain not numerous mistakes. If spelling lists are sent home try to make practice fun by playing games that encourage careful listening to the sounds in words and looking for letter patterns.
Planning
Young children usually write about subjects of immediate interest, in a style that sounds like speech written down. Writing styles are as they are according to these changes. Through constantly hearing how written language differs from speech, children become aware of writing conventions and phrases such as 'Once upon a time...' eventually the more formal structure begins to appear in their texts. Children learn to use paragraphs and to structure their writing to build up drama or develop an argument.
To ensure this happens in a systematic way most schools now follow the guidance of the National Literacy Strategy, which includes poetry, fiction and non-fiction writing in each term's teaching plan. Before your children are to write any written task, ask them what are they going to write about. Then ask them to keep re-reading what they have written, asking themselves: 'Does it sound right?'
