1. All about Handwriting Why is handwriting important?
Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum
Our school approach
Trouble shooting
How you can help!

2. Why is Handwriting important?
Gives motivation to write
Children are relieved of thinking about HOW to write when they want to write
Children who have better handwriting are usually better at spelling
Mark-making is basic to man. Symbolic representation for others to interpret is uniquely human and it is known that man has engaged in writing since cave paintings were first discovered.
However, the production of the symbols of any writing system is not something which comes naturally, like walking or jumping. We cannot write unless we have been taught how to, a fact which is sometimes ignored.

3. Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum
In Reception,
WRITING
40-60months
• Gives meaning to marks they make as they draw, write and paint. .
• Uses some clearly identifiable letters to communicate meaning, representing some sounds correctly and in sequence.
• Writes own name and other things such as labels, captions.
• Attempts to write short sentences in meaningful contexts.
ELG –
They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others.
MOVING AND HANDLING
Shows a preference for a dominant hand.
• Begins to use anticlockwise movement and retrace vertical lines.
• Begins to form recognisable letters.
• Uses a pencil and holds it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

4. Starting points

5. Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum
Year 2 Pupils should be taught to:
form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another
start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower-case letters
use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters
Years 1 Pupils should be taught to:
sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly
begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place
form capital letters
form digits 0-9
understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (ie letters that are formed in similar ways –c a d o g -) and to practise these

6. Settling into the pre-cursive….

7. Moving into the cursive….

8. Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum
Years 3 & 4: Pupils should be taught to:
use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting, [for example, by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant, and that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch]
Years 5 & 6 Pupils should be taught to:
write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:
choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters
choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

9. Receiving your pen licence…

10. Making your own mark….

11. Pre-writing skills dance, football, cycling, balancing,
Using play dough, clay, plasticine etc
Encouraging pincer movements of the fingers such as sprinkling glitter, salt or sand , by using tweezers to pick up rice grains etc.
Using scissors to cut paper, card, fabric, felt, fun foam etc.
Providing sewing and weaving activities,
Involving children in chopping and peeling when cooking,
Providing opportunities to supervise children using pliers, screwdrivers and hammers.
Providing a wide range of pens, pencils and brushes
dance,
football,
cycling,
balancing,
gripping climbing frames,
using construction kits.
This is the start of handwriting.
Before children can start to write they need to be able to control the movement of their whole body and limbs. Balance and good posture are especially important in the development of witing
In relation to forming letters, talk about the movements your child can make such as going round and round, making curves, springing up and sliding down, making long slow movements and quick, jumpy ones.
In the very early stages of writing children need to use their whole arm to make letter shapes rather than pens or pencils. Fine Control.
As children learn to master their bodies their control of smaller movements, such as of the hands and fingers, becomes more accurate.

12. Letter Formation
At Ashurst Wood we teach a cursive script. This means that all the letters start from the line and have entry and exit strokes from the start. Capital letters don’t have entry and exit strokes and don’t join to lower case letters. Initially letters are taught as stand alone; digraphs sh /th/ ch are taught as joined units from the start.

13. Giving a hand tohandwriting:
Pencil grip
Correct Equipment
Posture when writing

14. Pencil grip The ideal grip (tripod grip) looks like this:
The left hand grip is the same but the pencil should be held higher up the barrel so the writing can be clearly seen.
Children should have access to as many different writing media as possible; 2b pencils are softer than HB so are useful for left handers; similarly gel inks give smooth effortless writing -left handed writers have to push the implement across the page rather than pull so the smooth release of ink /graphite is important.
In school, from reception children write with ink pens not jut pencil. In Eagles children have had a choice of pens so we can monitor which we should invest in in the future.
Pencil grips may help young children who are not naturally holding their pencil correctly.

15. Posture when writing Paper position for right handed children.
Sit upright with lower back supported by the back of the chair.
Feet flat on the floor and thighs parallel to the floor.
Table at elbow height.
Left handed writers may need a cushion to raise their height so they can more easily see what they have written.
Paper position for left handed children so that they can see what they have written and not smudge their work.
Paper position for right handed children.

16. Other tips for left handers-
If encouraging a child to copy a letter or word, ensure the letters are written above or to the right of where the child is writing
The formation is pretty much the same for left as for right apart from the swipe from R to L for the horizontal short lines of some letters. These need to be from L to R:
T H A E
use smudge free pens –some are offset also which make it easier to see what is being written
Make a mark on the LHS of the paper to avoid mirror writing

17. Common concerns:
Many children go through a phase of mirror writing: although more readily understandable in left handed children, it is not statistically more common for them to write like this nor does it have any connection with intelligence or dyslexia. Children grow out of it. To help them do so more quickly mark starting points on the left hand side of a page to start the direction of writing .
bask
Common problems are poor sizing of specific letters –often k, s, w….Using guidelines for a short while may help to understand relationship with other letters.
Very rarely, a child has an eyesight problem so get an eye test to check whether glasses would help. Otherwise make the lines darker, to be really visible.
Sitting on the line
Reversals – Often incorrectly assumed to be Dyslexia. Writing letters and words backwards are common in the early stages of learning to write among average and dyslexic children alike. It is a sign that orthographic representations (ie, letter forms and spellings of words) have not been firmly established, not that a child has a reading disability (Adams, 1990).
Size – can be supported with Sky, Paper, Soil paper – Sparklebox
Spacing of letters – worth getting an eye examination, quite uncommon – but spacing between words is common: You can use a stamp or a sticker between the words to help with this.
Fluidity and Speed – again – are there underlying issues? Egg timer, beat the clock, practise.
Sitting on the line – visual difficulties? Sky, Grass, Paper – practise.
Without spaces, handwriting is very difficult to read. Young children can use images of fingers or lolly sticks to put between words.