Reception ds reading and writing

[Mumof3xox]

My ds has just turned 5 And is in year R

He is now reading at level 6 / orange band

However getting him to produce any written work is tricky, he can do it but is very uninterested and because of this the gap between his ready and writing is widening

Any tips on how to make him want to write? Or should I just leave him to it

Reading not ready

My ds is the opposite!
He is reading band 3, sometimes 4 and loathes reading. He's 5 in the next couple of weeks so also a summer born boy.
However he really likes writing. His handwriting is pretty awful but has improved but what he actually writes is ok I think. Definitely stronger than the reading.

Generally you find the reading does come before the writing (my ds being an exception) and if they have a good vocabulary from reading and can spell well from reading too then the writing will come.
I taught yr 2 and even by then there was often a gap between reading and writing.

So no real advice, but it will probably come. Will he write for a purpose? Maybe a letter to a penpal or a shopping list or something?

His reading is very good for his age

His fine motor skills just aren't keeping up...perfectly normal at this age, and will probably catch up (unless you and your DH both have atrocious hand writing, and then maybe not ). He will probably be doing so much handwriting next year, in Y1, that you will see a huge improvemnet by next year. Meanwhile, give him things to improve his fine motor skills, here

DS was like this, brilliant reader, lazy writer.

We encouraged him to write as much as possible in a stealth way. Every bit helps:

I would ask him to write a shopping list while I sorted the cupboards.

Write a note for dad as he is coming home late.

A list of things he'd like to do in the holidays etc

Also he really took to writing his own cartoon books in the style of Captain Underpants. I told him some of his stories sounded funnier than Captain Underpants so he started stapling paper into comic books.

He's just finished a Choose your own adventure book that he's written himself. Huge paragraphs which he'd never have done before.

He was self conscious about his writing, so keeping it all positive really helped.

And they say messy writing is the sign of a keen mind!

Definitely think about creating reasons for writing eg.

Treasure hunt notes
Spy messages written in that special pen that goes invisible
shopping lists
Minecraft instructions
invitations to friends to come and play
"keep out" notices for his bedroom door
Lists of activities he wants to do at the weekend
Notes from you with questions which need to be answered e.g. "What do you want for tea?"

Also, find different places for him to write - In a tent, in a hammock, standing up, lying down, under a table etc.

My nearly 5 year old dd likes making books about topics that interest her. How about a world cup football project book/score chart or something like that?

I remember an early years teacher telling me that boys muscles develop at different ages to girls and that boys benefit from unrelated activities that strengthen their shoulders, arms and fine motor skills. Monkey bar swinging, climbing trees, drawing in sand on the beach and using pincer grip all help writing.

IME reading is often more advanced than writing, even in upper primary and secondary school.

Thank you for all the ideas!

That is interesting about the muscle development I will do some googling!

Anotherstitch is right about the muscle development.

Ds loves writing notes or cards for his friends. He also enjoys writing his own stories. They're usually very short and have very creative spelling but he loved it when he realised he could write his own stories and then make us read them as our homework!

Ds was the same, reading at high level, doesn't write if he can get away without it. He's still much the same way in year 2. His teacher reckons that year 4 is the point that boys like him start reaching their full potential in writing.