Any reception teachers/eyfs specialists here? How do I help my reluctant writer?

[ActonBell]

I’d be really, really grateful for any advice.
We’re coming up on half term and the feedback from DS’s reception teacher is that he’s really bright, loves stories and facts/explaining things, is good with numbers, really good vocabulary, confident with his early reading skills, etc. But his aversion to writing/drawing is really strong. He has taken to pretending to be asleep when they try to engage him in a writing/drawing task!

This isn’t a surprise as he’s always been the same at home (though without the feigning unconsciousness!). He doesn’t want to paint, draw or write, use chalks, or anything like that.

The teacher says his grip is quite weak and is encouraging us to build more little opportunities for mark making and fine motor skills into day to day life.

I’ve been aware of this for a while and I’ve tried offering lots of different mark-making materials but he will hide away from any activity like this. He won’t decorate a cardboard box or draw with chalk on a brick wall even.

I’ve also tried talking about it in a ‘growth mind set’ way because he will say ‘I can’t do it’ when presented with a writing/drawing activity. We’ve read the book ‘ish’ together that is about a little boy who stops drawing because his drawings aren’t perfect but then finds out they don’t have to be.

What else can we try?

I was thinking of buying a couple of books about early years writing activities. Is there anything anyone would recommend?

Thank you!

I'm not a teacher but my son had a similar problem with weak grip and he avoided writing. He saw an OT eventually and turned out to have hypermobike joints so writing really was uncomfortable.

It was a while ago but i am sure we had to work on gross motor skills at the park a lot.
Then fine motor things that were not writing. I am sure we had to do things like cutting out shapes and threading and picking up pasta with chop sticks as a fun game.
Then the writinv sort of followed.

Picking pom poms up with large toy tweezers from a basket and sorting them in a muffin tin, squeezing basters to collect and squirt water in the bath, squeezing sponge to fill up a cup. Making marks in sand/salt on a tray.
Threading beads, threading pipe cleaners through a colander.
Playing with play dough…if you look up disco dough you can move your hands and dough to music using those particular moves in the book

Strength in the whole body will help too gross motor skills climbing the equipment in the park, balance beams, crawling through tunnels etc

Gross motor and fine motor activities should help him. Things to develop his pincer grip - e.g. Hama beads, using tweezers/kids chopsticks to sort things, lacing activities. Playing lego develops his fine motor. Playdough is fantastic for developing the muscle strength in their hands. Gross motor too, so the playpark - balancing, climbing etc, feeling comfortable in his body. Cutting/sticking, peeling stickers from sticker books. Have pencils/pens etc available but don't push him towards it. Finger painting could be fun if he's not opposed to getting his hands mucky.

You could encourage him to make marks in sand/mud/rice using his fingers or sticks (e.g. on a walk drawing patterns in mud - make sure it's a game though so it could be "Let's leave Gruffalo prints in the mud!" "lets make a path to show the bugs where to go" type of thing).

I'm a P2 (y1) teacher, and these are the sort of things I do in class with some of mine who are reluctant writers, and generally to continue to develop their fine motor.

I'm only a TA, but could you try other things to build his fine motor skills and hand strength? Especially if he's not interested in mark making yet. Things like playdoh, threading, hama beads, puzzles, fiddly toys are great for hand strength.
You could also do a Dino excavation in a sandpit with paint brushes.
Cornflour and a little water on a tray. He could use a finger to move it about (it's addictive!)
Will he do a 'paint your own' item? (Wooden toy, mug, piggy bank etc.)
Magic painting book - just add water.
Just a few ideas, I hope some might help. I'd try to keep it fun for now rather than focusing on writing.

Teacher here, currently in year R. My son was the same in Year R. After a few weeks of strengthening his core, arms, shoulders and fingers he was suddenly able to hold a pen correctly (start with a felt tip, not a pencil, it's easier to hold.) He then spent most of his time choosing to write and draw.

In my class we give lots of opportunities for Mark making that are appealing to the children. Chalk on an easel, paintbrushes with water on the wall (these strengthen their shoulders) as well as play based activities like cleaning the play house with a broom, up and down movements like these strengthen their shoulders. We play games where they have to reach up and this makes their arms stronger. For story time they lie on their tummies. Other mark making includes drawing secret symbols with chunky pens, scribble club, painting, writing with a finger in sand etc. Fine motor skills are honed with playdoh (kimit the number of tools available sp he has to dig in his fingers), picking up small objects with tweezers, lego, making peg pictures, threading beads etc.

Mainly I would say don't push him before he's ready and strong enough. Play with him using some of the above strategies and make sure there are different mark making materials at home eg twistables crayons, mini whiteboard, chalks, big paper etc and encourage him to use them. Children make huge amounts of progress in year R and they all have different starting points.

Playing in the park, pulling himself up on things, swimming- core strength that non-writers like doing
Peg games are great, playing with scissors- cut up everything (want that pack of Pom bears open? Here are your safety scissors!) cut bits of play dough, make pizza dough + let him kneed and roll it.
Just lots of opportunities to use finger-grips and develop upper body strength.
If after a couple of months it’s still a similar response go to gp and check joints- rule out any disorder that might be causing pain as this can be a first sign

Have you seen the Mini Writers Club? They have some great resources and ideas to strengthen grip.

I agree with all the suggestions for developing finger and wrist strength but you should know that the wrist bones don't really mature until 7 or 8 years old so there is still time.

Pegging out washing
Playdough and plasticine hide things in the dough for him to pull out
Lego

Core strength:
Row row row your boat
Lying on tummy propped up on arms doing an activity like jigsaw or cars
Kneeling on hands and knees and using one hand to do something. Swap hands.
Lying over a gym ball and walking/rolling forwards and backwards like a wheelbarrow supported by the ball.

I had this with my son. We did all the above. I also had an app where you traced the letters with your finger on the iPad. He didn't use it much but it was something different to do. He also used a big wedge in school for a bit. It's easier if paper or white board is at an angle.

I had the same issue with my DS. Turns out he has hypermobility. See if your GP can refer your DS to a physio to get assessed and to show you strengthening exercises. Sometimes they advise buying rubber grips to use on pens, a writing slope and triangular pens (available on Amazon). If it is hypermobility, they will check for other issues too e.g. flat feet.

Re the writing. Writing is a way of recording, but not the only way, especially nowadays. As pps have said, develop good motor skills as these are required functionally. Literacy in the early years particularly should be thought of in terms of reading, spelling and handwriting. When a child is a reluctant writer, they condense their brilliant ideas and imagination into what they can handwrite, which means we often don't get to see what they know. Encourage fine motor skills practice, do lots of reading and practice spelling in different ways that do not require him to write. His handwriting will come but if for any reason it doesn't, there are alternative methods of recording. At home, if he is given a homework task that involves recording what he knows, let him tell you and you can write it down and he could do a caption to go with it for example, but make sure he has lots of opportunity to succeed with regard to his understanding, not just what he can write.
Christ, that was long, sorry!

All of the above.
All I would add is will he type. DS has weak muscle tone and point blank refused to write in reception . His reception teacher let him use the class computer so he got to record his response and got to practise the non - handwriting parts or writing.
His hands are still weak, handwriting not great but is able to use a laptop in lessons and for exams. There are lots of ways round this now.

Thank you everyone. This is all brilliant. Going to look through your responses in detail tomorrow and think about our approach.