physical development and writing in the early years · gross motor development gross motor skills...
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Physical Development
and Writing in the Early
Years
Parents Workshop
MRA Friday 2nd February 2018
Session Aims:
Have a greater understanding of children’s physical development and how this affects writing.
To understand more about how children’s writing develops during Reception.
Tips and ideas of how to support your child’s fine and gross motor development at home.
Gross Motor Development Gross Motor skills involve large muscles of the body that
enable such functions as maintaining balance, walking, climbing, jumping, pushing, pulling and ball skills.
These skills continue to develop throughout childhood. They are important for self-care (getting dressed and eating) and of course affect health, but also how children can explore the environment, influencing their intellectual and social and emotional development.
Lots of outdoor activities in Reception are based around this development.
Big (large scale) before small (fine).
Where your children ‘pivot’ from will let you know where
they are up to in their physical mark making
development.
There is an intrinsic link between pivot and grip.
Writing: it is all about the pivot!
Stage 1: Shoulder Pivot
Grip: Palm/Palmer/Palmer Supinate
Children will have already developed a grasp that
allows them to hold something tight without
dropping it. This grasp is formed by wrapping the
fingers around an object and making a fist with the
object held in the middle.
Stage 2: Elbow Pivot
Pivot: Elbow (emergent or advanced)
Grip: Palm
At this stage in development, the shoulder
becomes more of a support and the elbow
starts to do most of the work.
Stage 3: Wrist Pivot
Pivot: Wrist
Grip: Usually palm, but
probably about to
change!
As the pivot moves to the
wrist, the elbow often
tucks into the side of the
body and the shoulder
movement becomes
minimal. Low load control
is now in play.
Fine Motor Development Once the pivots have worked their way down to the
wrist, the journey doesn’t stop there; although for lots of
children it becomes far trickier. This is where children
often get stuck. Aim: tripod grip
Fine Motor Development The hand is quite a complex piece of machinery and is made up of lots of
joints and muscle groups that interconnect and work together to provide maximum dexterity.
In a child’s journey to becoming a mark maker and eventually a writer, they need to become proficient in all of the following:
Pincer grasp or grip
Palm arches
In-hand manipulation
Thumb opposition
Finger isolation
Knuckle, and joints
Bilateral co-ordination
Hand/eye co-ordination
Mark Making Emergent Writing – children understand that
writing is a form of communication and that
their marks convey meaning.
Emergent writing progresses along a
developmental continuum.
The stages a young child moves through
begins with random marks and ends with
conventional spelling.
The writing journey through
Reception.
Early Writing When children are first trying to write, they have a lot to
think about!
Thinking what they want to write (the idea)
Thinking exactly what words they want to say (the
sentence)
Thinking what sounds make up the words (segmenting)
Thinking how to correctly form the letters.
Physically controlling the pencil/pen
Early Writing We try to practice some of
these skills by themselves so that some of them can be done without having to think.
During daily phonics sessions the children learn how to form the letters correctly by learning a short saying. We practise these separately so that when children are writing a word or sentence they can do it automatically.
Early Writing At other times it is important
for children to be able to write
without worrying too much
about spelling and handwriting,
they can write stories, letters,
or as part of a role play eg as a
doctor or in a café taking
orders.
At these times it is more
important to let them tell you
what they have written.
Opportunities at home… Shopping lists
Birthday cards
Postcards
Journal
Role play writing e.g. Doctor’s prescription, mechanics
parts list etc.
Filling in forms
Any questions?
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