How to help 6 year old DS with writing

[youbethemummylion]

Hi

Just got DS1's end of year 1 report he got 1a for maths 1b for reading 1c for writing.

I asked the teacher how we could help him over the summer to improve or at least consolidate his writing she said 'he will get there with time'.

Does anyone have any more constructive ideas about what we could do with him over the summer (I mean just bits and pieces I'm not planning on grilling him all summer)

He is not a keen on writing and does the minimum he can get away with.

Thanks

Make it playbased/child-led. 'Let's write a shopping list for things we need for a picnic/things you'd like to do during the summer holiday" and so on. For working on letter formation how about chalks on the garden path/shed wall? I'm sure some early years/ks1 peeps will be along soon.

Hi - retired male TA here :

Keep a diary in a notebook, what was good, not so good each day; record where he goes, what TV he sees, what friends he meets. (If he doesn't want to write much, just do it as 'bullet points' to start with.)

Record the weather, in as much detail as possible; watch the TV weather forecast in the morning, see if it proves to be correct or not. (Writing AND science!)

Write imaginative thoughts that his toys, teddies, etc might have, in relation to the child. (bit like in the "Toy Story" films, where the toys talk about how the boy feels.)

Have a Treasure Hunt for a few friends, either in your garden, or a nearby park; help him work out clues, get him to write the clues himself. (Don't worry too much about spelling, if it's for children of similar age and ability they can muddle through between themselves!) One clue can lead on to another clue, or you could have a little prize (responsibly edible?) as each clue is solved. Make sure everyone gets a prize.

Have fun!

Hi OP.. also try little games - fishing rods (little magnetic ones on amazon - cheap) and get him to 'fish for the word'.. then maybe score him.. points for writing it.

Also agree with writing about what he likes.. don't correct every mistake. The words repeatedly coming up - most commonly used correct and highlight the error in another colour.. think n in environment (obv not this particular word). So a word like 'monkey' isn't as important to correct at this stage as the spelling of the days of the week.

Try the site OT plan.com - it is great for games to improve finger isolation etc. Also the app 'Wet dry try' is good for actual letter formation.

This is the best book for strategies .. now I don't recall paying that amount for it but it is a fantastic book. It was recommended on a PostGrad course.

Best of luck..

www.amazon.co.uk/Helping-Children-Reading-Spelling-Special/dp/0415107334/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1373667609&sr=8-12&keywords=reading+and+spelling

Thanks for the tips we will get busy over the holidays with a few of these.