Supporting Reception with Writing

4th May 2017 | Early Years

Writing is a hard skill, especially when you are only 4 or 5 years old.  As a Reception Teacher, it is my job to teach the boys the skills to write but to also give them a fun reason to write.  The latest Government data for the Early Years and Foundation Stage Profile shows that boys are still achieving below girls in writing by around 15%.  In my eyes, this is not good enough, why are boys underachieving?

We are a boys school and our pupils achieve fantastic results in writing in the EYFS, so what are we doing that is so successful? Well, we first develop the boys' gross motor skills - they need to build up the muscles in their upper body, we then begin to develop their fine motor and building strength in the hand and fingers. We also make sure that the boys are confident with their letter sounds and are able to hear each individual sound in words. We also make sure writing is fun and purposeful - if our Writing Area is inviting, the boys will want to write. Boys need a reason to write, so writing letters, stories that will be read by others, shopping lists etc. will help with their engagement. 

Writing in Reception isn’t just found in the Writing Area, there are opportunities to write and mark make in all areas of the classroom and outdoors. Writing is everywhere. We encourage as much independent, self-initiated writing as possible and having it in every area promotes this independence and thinking.