Reluctant writer - year 3

[WhenDoISleep]

DS2 is in year 3 and is a very reluctant writer, this has always been one of his targets to work on but he was definitely showing improvement since the beginning of y3.

Since we started homeschooling he has slipped back a lot e.g. today he had a task to write a descriptive setting (with an opener given), and he spent the entire time whining that he didn't know what to do and doing his absolute best to avoid doing any writing. Whilst he does struggle with his handwriting, this has improved and is something we are continuing to work on. I'm not sure if he genuinely doesn't know where to start (there had been some build up tasks set last week for today's task), doesn't understand the task being asked of him or doesn't like the restrictive nature of the task.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can help him?

Sorry I have no advice but my son is exactly the same. I am just being mean mummy now and getting him to write something everyday as far as possible.
The English work is painful as he has the ideas but takes so long to write it neatly. I’ve said you can have the best story in the world but not if no one can read it!
All I can think of is practice, practice and practice some more as I’m sure my sons hand aches because he needs to build those muscles up.

Have you tried recording his narrative before writing?
My DS has really poor handwriting (he's in Y3 but it would be poor for Reception) due to DCD, but can tell a great story orally. I record a story he's told me before he starts writing. The other day he told me two different stories then wrote a third, but whatever!
I was speaking to the head of a school we are going to look round and told her this and she said there's a little box they use for children to record a narrative and play back (but a search doesn't help me find it! However you'd only really need a specialist recorder in school and your phone will be fine for home).

I have enrol my DD y3 too on an online course called magic link, she is enjoying it and her writing has improved, it is really someone watching over her how she writes and giving her some advice but it does the trick and I must say the difference is huge.
She had the worst writing I ever seen you couldn't read anything, she hates writing but since we are doing this course she has started writing her own little things and she feels proud.

drspouse - Interesting idea to record it - I do try and get him to tell me what he is going to write out loud before writing but recording it is one stage further.

Unfortunately we don't seem to be able to get as far as him knowing what he is going to write - he says that he doesn't know what to say (write).

He seems able to write a story / instruction book for Minecraft, but the writing tasks set by the school seem beyond him - although I know he has done similar in school.

PammieDooveOrangeJoof thanks for the support - sometimes I think he is the only child in the class who can't produce pages and pages of written work for some of these tasks. It's good too know others are having the same issues.

Try modelling for him, this is what a teacher does before the child the write. You don't have to write the whole thing, but show him how you:
-think aloud, choosing words for effect,
-write carefully, pausing for decisions before making choices
-read a sentence, sometimes editing (with a neat crossing out) before moving on

He can then choose to 'steal' your first few lines, making some amendments if he chooses to. It will feel like you are spoon feeding him, but that is ok and it helps to build confidence. You may also find it harder than you think to write what they are expected to! You can also plan out the whole piece using a mind map or some simple bullet points to scaffold his writing.

@nannaeva is that just handwriting or also narrative/information writing etc.?

Wallabyone if I try and model, he uses it as an excuse to try even less and he just wants me to do it for him, but maybe I can change my approach slightly. A useful reminder about lists and mind maps - I don't think the school uses then as a planning technique (from what I remember from his school books) so we encourage him to try them.

nannaeva same question as drspouse - I looked at Magic Link and it's just handwriting? He struggles with handwriting but has improved (and we have OT input on building his technique) - it's content / knowing where to start which seems to be the barrier now.

My year 3 son is the same, he has handwriting issue so the school allow typing but he will just sit lolling around and not even attempt a task. We discuss it all first, but honestly I'm sick of cajoling and prompting. We've just avoided English lessons for weeks because he storms off and won't do anything else.

Really worried how he'll be going back to school. He's smart enough for the work like I'm sure most kids discussed here are, just won't attempt the tasks.

DS2 (Y5) is a reluctant writer, and his handwriting isn't great either. We have done a "story mountain" for events/ideas, but I still have to ask him questions about his character periodically, such as "what can he see?", "how does he feel?". I'm trying to get him to ask himself these questions so writing isn't such a nightmare when he goes into Y6. But it's like getting blood out of a stone when they regard both the generation of ideas and the physical writing as a chore!

Role playing and story cubes might help with the story telling aspect?