Our Trust Staff Meeting at Cypress on Handwriting in the Early Years, for our Early Years and Year 1 practitioners, was a fantastic opportunity for the adults to have some fun, as well as learning some important pedagogy and practical ideas to teach this crucial life skill. Mrs Parker talked us through the pedagogical principles behind teaching early handwriting skills and the importance of all the foundations that need to be put in whilst the children are very young, in order to develop a comfortable and effective grip to manipulate writing implements. Fluent and legible handwriting requires a huge amount of practice and scaffolding from skilled adults who understand the stages of development and how best to ensure that gross and fine motor skills are developed through exciting, practical experiences.
Staff from across the Trust contributed to the staff meeting by bringing motivational activities to inspire and excite. After a session of ‘Dough Disco’ (using different coloured and flavoured playdough) and background theory, everyone had a go at the carousel of practical set-ups, devised to improve both fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. There were also a variety of puzzles to explore and writing implements and supporting resources such as pencil grips, to cater for a wide range of pencil grips and styles.
We got some amazing feedback regarding how the staff felt about the activities they had tried. These are some of the comments:
“I really enjoyed the nuts and bolts activity. It would appeal to all children and uses ‘real life’ resources!”
“It was interesting to explore all the writing implements and see the type of things we can offer children!”
“I loved the fact the activities were multi-faceted and offered so much more than at first glance!”
“The scoops/spoons and coloured rice activity was magical and so interesting to explore!”
Playdough is a simple resource to make and most children love it! Click here for some easy recipes to make your own at home.
Thank you to all the staff who attended the meeting and got involved with such enthusiasm. Special thanks to Mrs Parker, Ms Pettiti, Ms Staniforth and Ms Cheeseman for their hard work.
Miss Chapman (Cypress Lower)
