I know the holidays are the holidays but....

[SlightlyMadSpider]

....I would like to encourage DTDs (6) to do some low key writing over the summer break. I know they have had specific targets over the year (esp Capital letters & full stops) and it has taken them a long time to get the hang of using them without being told. I know that in hte last couple of weeks they have been starting to make progress at this and I don't want them to loose it again over hte summer.

They love reading and writing (more than I do!!!) - but tend to limit themselves to writing lists all of the time (spontaneously). I am trying to think of a more structured approach I can take to encourage them to write more senatnces, paragraphs and stories as I think this wil be much more useful. Equally I want it to be informal and fun for them. I have the following ideas and am open to other suggestions. I will stress it will not be forced. If they don't want to do it they won't have to and it will only replace/compliment the more basic lists that they will ineviatbly do anyway.

What about them writing a diary. Maybe not every day - just once or twice a week. They could do it as a scarpbook and add souveniers of things from day trips? (this is proibably my favoured approach)

What about letting them join the library and do the summer reading scheme. Maybe they could write a short piece about some of hte books they read.

(and maybe they could spell things a little better than their mummy!!! )

I think your ideas are good. Do you have relatives they could write short letters to, who could be primed to write back?

Writing letters is another good one.

All really good ideas. Particularly like the writing letter to relatives. I can remember the excitement of receiving a letter in the post at that age. I can even remember what the letters looked like!

What about postcards? More of a novelty and less space to fill

We do the holiday diary thing every year, more like a scrapbook as you say. Even my 14 year old still loves to do this, and her books are now works of art - better than anything I could do!

Writing a recount is a good beginning step, especially if it is on the basis of something that they have done. Such as, making gingerbread men, decorating them etc. Then they can write a recount of what they did. "Yesterday I ... then I ... next we..." Taking photos of them doing it (or have them take photos of each other), and then printing them off, having them put them in order (talking to them about it all the while, 'course) and then using them to help with their writing - all good. Naturally, this could be applied to any activity. Have a friend or relative write them a really simple letter that they could read, and post it to them, then they could reply.
Can't think of anything else just at the moment..

You expect me to make Gingerbread men with them too??????

Actually the pics is a good idea too....

My Ds age 6 went through a stage(admittedly a short one) of sitting by the window and describing in writing what he could see. He also drew a picture to go with the description.

Yes holiday diary is top.

Every day when away on hols (maybe at breakfast time? or tea-time?) and yes pick up leaflets and bits and bobs (make sure to pack the pritt stick), maybe when have done sthg interesting other times, but at least3-4 times/week.

Book reviews good too

Or how about weekly/twice weekly letter to someone (an adult I mean) - gran, aunt, friend of yours? Warn them and maybe the DTs will get post back!

Oh I see Purpleturtle is there before me on that one.
A daily diary (just a tiny one) is a great idea IMO, DS1 has done one for last 2 years.

Or how about getting them to write a story - maybe give them the first line or a cast of characters and see what they come up with (bit hard for 6yo maybe?)

get the magnetic words for the freezer and make sentences for them to read while you cook

We sometimes do the holiday diary thing. Another thing that's popular with my 7 and 5yo dds is those, well I don't know what the right term is, sort of workbooks, activity books, you get from Usborne or the Book people. We have some that are for Key stage 1 on reading, writing and maths with a Wizard theme. My dds really enjoy doing them and don't consider it work.

Here's a link to them, they're called Magical topic sets and you can get them for age 5-6 or 6-7.

www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?catgrpSchemaTyp e=2&langId=100&fromPage=basicSearch&catalogId=10001&submit.x=0&vipStatus=&submit.y=0&beginIndex=10&r esultCatEntryType=1&storeId=10001&searchTerm=messy+maths&pageSize=10&searchScope=SimpleSearch&result Type=2

I know lots of people hate the idea of workbooks but my dds find them fun.

Letters and postcards a great idea, 'writing for a purpose' is how they describe it in the curriculum. Also the scrapbook. I agree its an idea to keep them going or they might well lose a few of the things they've learnt. I always mean to but never quite get round to it. With this weather we may well do it this year

Agree with all the ideas so far - what about sentence pyramids (they can turn out really funny) which are described here along with some other writing ideas which you could adapt for their age:

www.geocities.com/oberry1790/writingart.html

When my daughter needed writing practice (her fine muscle control developed very late) she loved the Flower Fairies and would happily copy out a page each day and illustrate it so if they have a favourite book they could copy a short passage and draw a picture.

jackanory site on cbeebies...my dd has recently found this and (she has difficulty writing)it is encouraging her to explore her imagination without the hard bit of the writing for her.(iyswim)

I was trying to stay away from the workbooks as I thought that would be a bit too formal. They do have one workbook already which has some maths and time problems in - which I may get out a couple of times to keep up there numberacy (which means it probably won't happen ).

Besides they can do a scrap book on any subject essentially for free. I think I will go with that idea.

The wizard theme ones described by fennel aren't very formal at all. My dd (6) loves them - in fact, I can't stop her if she's got one.

As a result, she was the only one in the class to know what symmetry was after half-term. She couldn't pronounce the word, but she knew what it was.

have a look at www.bbc.co.uk/raw

you can send off for a free storytelling pack that is aimed at children and gives fantastic activities and ideas to leap from. My dd1 has loved doing this

I've seen some nice paper which is plain for drawing on the top half and ruled for writing on the bottom half. Good for diaries and less daunting than a whole sheet of writing paper.

I like the postcard idea - you could all get involved - post them to each other and to friends (postal strikes permitting).

We sometimes use digital photos to put together scrap books on the PC. Don't get the writing practice but works on IT skills.

THE DC have been keeping holiday diaries since reception (summer & easter) - they only write about an interesting thing they did that day, not reams or boring stuff about what they had for breakfast. We intersperse the writing with drawinfgs, postcards, photos (it's the only way I get to remember to print off photos).
We hope it will be fun for them to look back on when they are older ( DS2 is 7 and wants to give the,m to his grandchildren...)