How much handwriting practice do you do with DC (reception)?

[SwapTheYforaD]

DH and I have been caught out this year with how much we're expected to practice handwriting with DD (turning 5 soon).

She is quite tired at the end of each school day and can't really face doing more work at home. Teacher is pleased with her reading development/comprehension but has said on numerous occasions that she needs more practice at handwriting at home. We try to do some here and there but her stamina is quite poor in that sentences are a bit of a no-go; we've prioritised reading as it's easier to fit into the current routine and we see this as more important at this stage too.

I'm holding onto a self-invented theory that it'll all be fine and she'll catch up- am I living in cloud cuckoo?

I wonder what others are doing. Daily? Occasional? Do you give DC invented sentences to write out?

It's hard to enjoy something you find hard - I tell my daughter that things become more fun once you've learned to do them more easily (e.g. learning to ride a bike is less fun than being able to ride it), so sometimes you have to persevere with the boring bit to get to the fun bit.

If she's behind her classmates, a bit of practice at home is more likely to help her than hoping it magically sorts itself out. In Yr1 she may need to do cursive, which is really hard if you've not got to grips with the basics of writing. One sentence a day would be a good start.

I have a DD in Year 1 and the school do not set any homework. She reads every night to me (and me to her), but that's it. She is left handed and has struggled slightly with writing since reception - She is exceeding / greater depth in maths & reading but working at expected level for writing. We try & incorporate it into daily life / fun stuff as others have said, and I have found when I pushed it a bit more, she started to really resent it, so we've avoided more formal practice.

Dc are yr 1 and 3 now but have never practised handwriting with them.

This is all really helpful- thanks everyone. It's also really comforting to know that others don't do practice at home.

I like the idea to incorporate it into daily life... like the idea of her adding something fun to the shopping list. Little bit often is key I guess.

I've been a bit thrown by some other threads I see on MN too where people ask if their child who hasn't even started school yet isn't going to be ready in September if they can't yet write Shakespearean plays 🙄

Those of you who don't do home practice : do you find that your child/ren voluntarily get pencil and paper out? If not how do they not get behind? Or are they just picking up things quite quickly? Maybe is your school not pushing them this early? Do kids in private schools get more one to one with teachers during the day maybe? If we did no practice at home whatsoever, our DD would be even more behind than she is already (state school).

MN has a lot of odd views about lots of things, I wouldn't take the prep for school or my child does x, y or z as gospel or even anything like the reality for the majority.

Personally I think it's good school highlight stuff like this, but I wouldn't feel pressured. When my youngest was at school I had no idea about milestones, what children are usually doing by whatever age so it was helpful to know what to support him with- don't stress though.

I found buying a funky pencil case helped and he chose some pens and pencils he liked and a notepad, also had some stickers that said well done, great job etc but largely left him to decide when with no pressure.

In reception, focus was solely on reading, not letter formation for us.

Even in year 1, the teacher wasn't paying much attention. I remember the teacher said something about the hand not being fully developed at that age (?).
Year 2, a lot of emphasis was placed on handwriting.

Those of you who don't do home practice : do you find that your child/ren voluntarily get pencil and paper out?

We always had pencils and crayons and colouring pencils and felt pens in each of their rooms / in the kitchen.

I'd encourage them to write when things needed writing - so yes, shopping lists (obviously more motivation near Christmas and birthdays for ) things like 'wish lists ...... scrap books during the holidays ........ thank you letters........ postcards ..... letters to grandparent / favourite Aunty or Uncle ........ scoring in games (like junior scrabble)
Then lots of things like puzzle books aimed at children - wordsearches, crosswords, matching things, the sticker books often have puzzles in, mazes, etc.
Colouring books.

Much of any difficulty at 4/5/6 will be fine motor skills, and / or strength in hand and finger muscles, so do any of the 101 things that will help with that, that don't seem like writing practice.
Play dough
Using clothes pegs (in games or to hang out washing)
Threading
Using tongs - games like operation or party type games where they have to pick up smarties or raisins with tongs and carry them to another plate
Squashing anything like a rubber ball (the red noses often work, or pet toys)
Any game that involves picking up cards (like playing cards) from the floor or a table - including lotto type games, the shopping game and so forth
Anything that involves 'posting' things into a slot - like coins into a money box
Games that involve stretching elastic bands
Wringing out wet cloths (again, can make an activity where they 'do the washing' and then hang it out)
Helping cook where they kneed dough, or do any rubbing in or mixing with hands, or roll out dough or pastry, or use cookie cutters, etc

All much more fun, and probably 10x more use than sitting with a handwriting practice sheet.

Oh, and, for reassurance, my eldest, who never chose to pick up a pencil until he was about 9 or 10, is the one who went on to do English, and 2 other essay based subjects at A-level.
For some, it just comes later.

I haven’t done any writing practice with DS but have been wondering if I should. He turned 5 this week so at the younger end of his class, and is a boy which does seem to make a difference (when comparing him with friends’ daughters).

He’s bright and doing well with reading, but he’s not especially interested in writing (or drawing) and there is a massive gulf between the two (he’s reading at level 7/turquoise but writes many letters backwards!). He can draw well when he puts his mind to it but is more interested in scribbling “treasure maps”. I raised his writing with his teacher and she said they don’t even start thinking about letter formation until year 1, so I had planned to trust the system and leave it all to them. I do ask him to write birthday cards and the odd shopping list but it’s hard to fit more in when working full time!

Infant and primary school homework makes me seethe. Totally purposeless. Loads of reports saying so. I would do none tbh.

I taught secondary school for 26 years. I don’t think KS3 should have it either.

Let children be children.

FWIW obviously we cant answer as our children may be far further ahead/behind than your daughter.
It might be minimal fine motor issues so a bit of playdough will be fine or she might be forming letters incorrectly in which case ditch reading for a bit just do a great big letter a day as short focus.

If she doesn't reach the age related level required of her at the end of reception in eg writing/fine motoŕ it literally doesnt matter....but will to your childs teacher. If you vant fit anything in, then dont worry