Year 1 have settled back into school after a lovely holiday break. Our students enjoyed writing recounts of WHERE they went, WHO they saw and WHAT they did during their holidays. We have been focusing on extending our writing by ensuring we are using full stops to make our stories and writing flow beautifully. We are needing lots of reminders of the correct pencil grip, letter formation and posture when writing.

This term, we’re focusing on strengthening the children’s fine motor skills — the small muscle movements in their hands and fingers that support handwriting, self-care, and many everyday tasks.

Many of our families live and work on farms, which provides wonderful opportunities to build these skills naturally through everyday activities. Alongside fun classroom tasks, here are some ways you can help at home:

✂️ Cutting and crafting — cutting out shapes or pictures with child-friendly scissors.
🧩 Building and creating — playing with blocks or small construction toys.
🖐️ Playdough or clay work — rolling, pinching, and shaping to build strength.
🧶 Threading and tying — threading beads, buttons, or pasta onto string to improve hand–eye coordination.
📝 Pencil control — drawing, colouring, tracing, or writing letters and numbers.

On the farm, fine motor skills can also be developed by:

🌱 Collecting eggs carefully from nests.
🥔 Sorting small seeds, nuts, or produce.
🪵 Helping tie ropes, fasten buckles, or open and close small gates and containers.
🐑 Filling feed buckets or using small tools with supervision.
🌾 Picking flowers, herbs, or fruit.

These everyday farm jobs are perfect for building strength and coordination in young hands and help children connect their learning to real-life experiences.

Thank you for supporting our Year 1 learners at home!

Catherine McAuley Newsletter

What Students are Working On at Catherine McAuley Term 4 Week 1 · 15 Oct 2025

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