Y2 Writing

[christinarossetti]

My Y2 ds is becoming more enthusiastic and confident about writing. He's a summer birthday and left handed, so I've never thought that I should do anything other than encourage his confidence and enjoyment of writing. He only got the hang of fingers spaces a few months ago, which is fine by me and his teacher.

However, I'm a bit concerned that he still is nowhere near consistent with ascenders/descenders, and still uses random capitals in sentences (usually the one which is the first letter of his name!).

Can anyone suggest a tool that I can use to focus on these skills please? There is a push at his school to do joined up writing (and indeed his older sister was more than ready by 6 years old to do this), but I think that he needs to get the basics of letter formation more secure before he starts doing this.

I could get one of those handwriting books and just do a few letters with him each night, but I wondered if there was something potentially more engaging for a 7 year old boy?

TIA,

[Gobbolino6]

Could you get him to write a story, choose a letter he needs to practise and have him put as many words starting with that letter into the story as he can?

[paxillin]

I would point it out in his writing rather than practice it specifically. Lots of writing helps. We have a game, we write a story. Everybody writes a line, the book stays on the table. Just point of capital letters and praise any accidental joined up writing.

DC2: Once upon a time, there was a big green bear who was a great rider.
Mum: The bear liked riding wild boar or wolves, horses really are rather boring
DC1: Secretly, the bear wanted to be a wild boar and when nobody looked he dressed up in a boar skin
Dad: The bear was planning a trip around the world, packing his boar skin and all his saddles.
DC2: When he left he realised the boar skin was getting a bit tight because he had become fat from sitting around at home.
Neighbour: He decided he needed to walk the first 100 miles to fit his boar costume again
Mum:...

They do tend to be grotesque after two pages, but they keep writing without it being "work".

[christinarossetti]

Thanks. You've both given me an idea actually. Given that he doesn't like being told what to do, but does like role playing being a teacher, I might get him to correct some of 'my writing'.

[Gobbolino6]

Oh great idea!

[Gobbolino6]

I bet my two six year olds would enjoy that too.