Inside Ivanhoe

IPS Tips 

F - Year 2 (approximately)- HELPING YOUR CHILD TO WRITE

Learning to write begins with scribbling and drawing. This is an important first step and should be encouraged. The next step is to encourage your child to write letter-like shapes, before moving on to practice writing the alphabet – both capitals and lower case letters. After this, encourage your child to write sentences containing short words.

Opportunities to write every day at home

Like reading, writing with your child should become an everyday activity at home.

Try some of these writing ideas:

  • Write a shopping list or add items to a list.
  • Keep a board to write and read family messages.
  • Give your child a pad of sticky notes to write reminders for themselves.
  • Plan and write your weekly menu together.
  • Write captions for photographs in your family photo album.
  • Write labels for your child’s art works and creations.
  • Make words using magnetic letters and stick them on the fridge.
  • Make and write greeting cards, birthday cards, and thank you notes.
  • Keep a family calendar on display and write down family events.

Year 3 - 6 (approximately)- HELPING YOUR CHILD TO WRITE

As your child moves through primary school, he or she will begin writing longer creative pieces, writing in different genres, and exploring non-fiction and persuasive writing.

Creating a literacy-rich home

Creating a literacy-rich home gives your child every opportunity to engage in reading, writing, speaking and listening. This kind of environment encourages your child to see these skills as an important and normal part of every day.

Here are some tips to create a literate home:

  • Books. Lots of books. With lots of books your child will see reading as a normal activity and will always have something new to read.
  • Create a language-rich bedroom and home for your child, with alphabet and word posters, and labels.
  • Organise a bookshelf to display your child’s books.
  • Create a comfortable space for your child to read, perhaps with cushions and blankets, to encourage your child to see reading as a relaxing and fun activity.
  • Provide writing materials and a writing desk. Having different pens and pencils, and a place to write, encourages your child to write more often. Creating a special ‘writing box’ to store your child’s pens and pencils helps your child see writing as an important activity.
  • Collect props for imaginative play, and materials for craft projects. These can form the basis for practising speaking and writing.
  • Set aside a time each week for ‘family reading time’ when every family member is reading, either individually or together.
  •  Regularly discuss what your child is reading or writing.
  • Very importantly, read yourself. One of the most important ways to get your child reading is to model reading for your child. Children are encouraged to read – and to see reading as a normal part of the day – if they see their parents reading often. Siblings, grandparents, and other relevant persons in a child’s life can also be reading role models.