How to keep YR2 DS on the straight and narrow through the summer holidays.

[fellcreat]

Hello MN's,

I am after some tips on how to try and maintain the progress my DS has made in YR2 in writing particularly over the summer break. He has improved so much and tried very hard which makes me more proud, that I would like to keep him ticking along if possible.

When I was really worried at the start of YR2 I tried worksheets and workbooks at home as if you like 'extras' : world war three broke out so don't want the stress and anyway in my DS's case it was counter productive. Indeed as I work away from home part of the week it will be down to DH to do any activity's and I am sure that he will only keep going with this if it doesn't turn into a battle.
When he was struggling with his writing, which I think was confidence as much as anything his lovely teacher was really helpfull, they were just about to start a new topic on your favourite book and the extra encouragment she gave him made him 'fly'.

So will stop waffling and wait for lots of lovely / clever ideas from MN!!

How about suggesting he writes a diary every evening of what he has done in the day? Buy him a nice book to write it in?

Would he be interested in keeping a journal? He could write about what he has done each day with drawings and photos, ticket stubs etc stuck in.

Don't sell it as a writing project though.

You could read some diary type novels with him to fuel his interest eg Diary of a Wimpy Kid or similar.

Ha ha Sparkling - great minds and all that

It could work particulary well for any time he spends away from home. Tell him you want to know about all the fun he has had when he is not with you.

You could model the activity by keeping one yourself. Make it funny and fun to write with funny doodles of the two of you in it etc.

Brilliant carrots. DS2 did one because he hated writing. he stuck in receipts, tickets etc. Ended up like a big scrap book.

Actually, anything that encourages fine motor control will help - so if you get him drawing more, that will also help his writing.

DS2 loved stencils at that age, he had football and car ones. he would spend ages colouring them, designing kits etc.

What about postcards that he can post to you or friends or grandparents and get them to reply by post too?

Plan a special meal get him to write the menu and the shopping list for ingredients.

Plan a trip out, ask him to look up and write down the directions and anything of interest he'll see on the way.

Make invitations for his friends to come over and get him to write the itinerary for the day.

I have, in theory, hopefully, if I can find the energy, a 50 words/day thing for DS (going in to y4, but should be in y2 still, he is so immature). Just get him to write 50 words about whatever he wants to say (in reasonable quality sentences). He has such hang ups about writing, he needs the reinforcement so that September doesn't come as a shock to him & he doesn't end up throwing mega-paddies (like he has done every other September in school).

I suppose scrapbooking would be good, but personally I couldn't organise it.

insanity brilliant ideas. I think I will steal them for ds for the summer.

Oh thank you fab mumsnetters all great. Particularly like idea of joint journals for when we are apart in the week. Also like the idea of writing to friends over the hols might have a word with his best friends mums they do have some sort of secret club going.

Diary, letters to GPs, postcards, shopping lists, birthday lists, lists of things he would like to do during the hols, recipes, directions...