Homework

As part of our Brain Boosters (non-negotiable homework), we expect children across the school to read for at least 20 minutes three times a week and to practise the spellings they are taught in school three times a week too. Reading is key for inspiring children's writing and spelling fluency is essential for children meeting age-related expectations each year. See our Reading page for more information on how to support your child with reading at home and visit the Spelling Shed section on this page for more information on supporting your child with spelling.

Handwriting

Did you know that improving fine motor skills can help improve handwriting? Have a go at some of these activities with your child at home to support them with this:

• Play with play dough – roll, squeeze, pinch, and make shapes or letters.

• Use clothes pegs or tweezers to pick up small objects like pasta or buttons.

• Thread beads or pasta onto string or lace.

• Build with Lego or small blocks to strengthen fingers.

• Cut along lines or shapes with child-safe scissors.

• Draw, colour, or trace patterns, shapes, and letters.

• Spray water bottles or squeeze sponges to build hand strength.

• Do simple finger rhymes like Incy Wincy Spider to improve finger control.

If your child is finding handwriting a challenge, speak to their class teacher who will be able to support you in what they specifically need to focus on.

Free writing

Want to encourage your child to write more at home? Motivation for writing is key, so here are some suggestions that may engage your child in the writing process:

EYFS and KS1

• Magic writing boards are great fun for children. These can be bought cheaply and used even on car journeys.
• White boards encourage the children to write and practise mark making.
• Write with your child – ‘think aloud’ so they can hear the decisions you make as you write. Children will want to write if they see a purpose to the writing.
• Talk about the words they see in everyday life- food packaging, signs in the supermarkets, messages on birthday cards and invitations.
• Write a shopping list together- model and allow them to take their own list to the shop to give the writing a purpose.
• Send an email- Your child says the message and you type it initially. Children can develop computer skills at the same time.
• Try writing an invitation to a story character. Provide your child with a ‘writing box’- put a range of writing items in the box – pens, pencils, rainbow pencils, old birthday cards, coloured paper, sticky tape to make little books.
• Rolls of wallpaper can be fixed to a table or a fence for large writing and drawing. Praise them for their play writing- those early squiggles and marks show that your child is beginning to understand writing. Set an example- make sure your child sees you writing!
• Strengthen their writing hand-Try fun activities which strengthen your child’s hand. For example: cutting, painting, squeezing playdough, picking up small things with tweezers and pegs.
• Messages- leave messages with magnetic letters on the fridge for them to reply to.
• Make up stories together- use their toys as characters and write the story with them so they say it.
• Make up a little booklet. Take photographs and use the pictures in the book.
• Notices and signs- about important things in their play e.g. The Cave – Keep Out! Shoe Shop – Open, Don’t walk on the seeds we have planted!
• Captions- to add to photos that they or an adult has taken.

KS2

• Write instructions for taking care of the family pet, or a mystery creature!
• Write a letter or thank you note to a relative. Talk through what your child wants to say and provide something nice for them to write their letter on.
• Ask then to help you to write a shopping list before going to the shops.
• Write an online review of a book or an item they recently acquired, a recipe they tried, an activity they did.
• Write a postcard or note to a friend and go to post / deliver it.
• Keep a journal or diary.
• Find a picture in the newspaper and write an article to accompany it.
• Write a short story to accompany a picture they find / take.

For further ideas of how to support your child at home, see our useful links page.