How can I help my yr2 child with "connectives"

[mintchocchick]

My DS has been struggling a bit with writing tasks. His teacher suggested I help by pointing out full-stops and capital letters when we are reading together and by doing some connectives, using alternatives to "and" in writing.

He does not like writing so does not do it by choice at home and I don't want to push him to write as it might just cause frustration. So I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas of things I can do, especially over half term, that would help?

If you look on the BBC website there are some computer games that practice connectives. There are punctuation games too. Will try to do link.

Sorry on IPad and cant work out how to do links, but if you go to Bitesize, then KS1, then literacy you'll find the games listed. There are some on the KS2 section too. HTH

Make up silly sentences whenever you have opportunity - in the car, whilst cooking, getting on with housework, etc. One of you starts the sentence, the other one finishes it with a connective . . .

"I went to the shop yesterday . . . AND bought a giraffe."
"It's a small world . . . BUT I wouldn't want to paint it."
"I was cooking sausages last week . . . WHEN they all suddenly exploded."
"My car doesn't go very fast . . . BECAUSE there is an elephant on the roof."

Crap examples off the top of my head, but you get the drift .

Don't make him write them though, just have fun making them up and get him in the habit of extending sentences by using connectives

well you probably use time connectives all the time - then, next, after that...
also the logical connectives and, so, as, if, while, but, because, etc
silly sentences are totally the way to go, as SF says, and maybe do some sort of a diary thing through the holidays, take pictures of anything you do, collect leaflets, even just park and supermarket, write in your scrapbook to show what you have done but make sure he thinks of decent sentences and ban "and"
Then he could show friends/relatives/take it into school at the end of the holiday?!
also when you read stories together, point out the more interesting words, esp adjectives and connectives and talk about what makes the word, or sentence, exciting. Appreciating the 'ingredients' of a good story are more than half the learning experience, imho. The other thing I do (but i'm a lunatic sen teacher) is we make a big arm stretch every time we need a capital letter, a bit like the A of YMCA [saddo alert] and also stick our arm out to make a stop sign every time we need a full stop. Quite outrageously stupid but certainly works

You might find this helpful

Alan Peat calls them Boys sentences= But Or Yet So

All really helpful. Thank you all so much. I think part of my problem was that I couldn't really think of many connectives myself! But these ideas are great, will do lots of chatting and leave actually writing unless DS wants to himself.

Thanks for the support.

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