Help needed please- to help my 5 yr old DD's writing skills

[Dingle]

Sorry, short and sweet at the moment, I am dead on my feet. First day of school hols and I have come down with flu!!

My DD is 5.5 and about to start Y1 in September. She is at mainstream and up to now has had no classroom support, but after fighting long and hard I have a statement and I am assured she with have support in place when she goes back in Sept.

Over the course of the school hols I have set myself a few target area to work on with her, based around her school targets, but I am not sure how if; 1 the targets are too large for her to attain at the moment or 2, how the school plan to meet them anyway.

She has a literacy and numeracy target that is to be able to write her own name "recognisably" and to recognised and write the numbers from 1 to 5 ( she can count on route but is not consistent with recognition)

She has delayed fine motor skills but her pencil grip is coming along. Any advice would be much apreciated.

Try writing with a finger in wet sand , then with a stick, pavement chalks on the patio, brush dipped in water before using a pencil. Collect things on a walk and arrange into groups of 1-5, games like Orchard Toys Spotty Dogs are good for basic number recognition.

Thank you!! She can write a fairly good "A" and an "m" and loves writing loads of kisses "XXXX"

Her school haven't really encouraged a writing program, "we are not a dotty school!" But when she goes back I am trying to chase this up ( along with a more structured reading programme ) with the local SN school's outreach support.

I just feel I WANT to encourage this as she she a fairly good letter recognition, and a great love of books. She can't write, she can't necessarily say her sounds clearly but she has learnt several letters on the PC keyboard.

She has had so little support at school, I just want to try my best to help her while I have time with her!!!

My son loves tracing his finger/stick in cornflour and water (it is a curious mixture!) and making letters out of playdough sausages, and for a treat biscuit dough. We also play with magnetic and foam shapes. Anything too school-like puts him off! The OT suggested playdough pea (with finger and thumb not palm of hand) and sausage making (with chopped 'carrots' to practice cutting) to work on fine motor skills, and line drawing skills (simple maise puzzles, simple dot to dot and colour in etc).