How Does Green Grass Nursery Support Writing in Early Years?
- Ms.Nathalie ( Head of Curriculum )
- October 21, 2024
- 12:57 pm
- 0 comments
At Green Grass Nursery (GGN), we place a strong focus on early writing skills development. From as young as one year old, our little ones begin to build the foundation for what we believe is one of the most crucial aspects of the formative years as learners. GGN facilitates this by creating a communication-rich environment full of natural opportunities for listening, talking and mark-making.
Delivered through creatively fun, engaging activities like making scribbles, creating hand prints and drawing, GGN helps your little one feel confident and excited as they grow their readiness for writing.
Here are ten ways we support early writing skills development, including some powerful tips to improve your child's writing skills.
Start Early: Why We Focus on Writing Skills from 1 Year Old
As students build their communication skills and experiment with mark-making each day, they learn to use their bodies in different ways. This growth promotes the development of gross and fine motor skills, allows different grips to be learned, and helps build control over our bodies, all key components of early writing skills. This early engagement helps children develop the physical abilities needed for writing, setting them up for success.
Following EYFS Guidelines: Birth to 5 Matters
We follow Birth to 5 Matters from EYFS guidelines when it comes to writing. This principle states that we begin to develop writing skills and understanding of symbolic meaning from a very young age.
“Writing skills and understanding start to develop in babies and toddlers. Firstly, children begin to understand that written texts are symbolic and carry meaning. Later, they begin to produce and read written marks purposefully.” (Birth to 5 Matters, Literacy)
Our curriculum supports this process by providing age-appropriate writing activities for young learners tailored to your child’s development stage.
Cater to Different Learning Styles
Every child has a different learning style and develops at their own pace. With small class sizes and plenty of one-on-one time, GGN kids receive the individual support and guidance they need wherever they are in terms of development. We also incorporate a variety of teaching methods when introducing writing skills to cater to different learning styles:
Visual learners benefit from picture books and props.
Auditory learners engage with nursery rhymes and songs.
Reading and writing learners practice mark-making, storytelling, and reading.
Kinesthetic learners enjoy hands-on activities, experiments, and movement-based learning.
Make Writing Fun with Creative Activities
Positive associations with school from an early age can be the start of a lifetime love of learning. At GGN, we strive to make this a reality for our kids by injecting a little fun into every activity, and that includes early writing skills development. We promote pre-writing skills through art exploration, painting, drawing, and mark-making as part of our daily routine. This is a hands-on exploration that prepares children with the tools they’ll use later for writing.
Bilingual Approach: Supporting Writing in English and Arabic
Becoming familiarised with the shapes and forms of an alphabet is a key step on the path to unlocking the meaning of entire written words. In a bilingual setting, this is crucial for your little one’s development as they begin to categorise different components of each language.
We make sure your child has access to books in both languages and that every element of our daily routine is presented in both languages. This extends to our students’ names, the days of the week and just about any element they engage with. Our approach helps them understand that writing is not only a communication tool but also a reflection of culture and language.
Use Technology to Build Writing Skills
Technology, both inside and outside the classroom, has become part of the tools available to provide writing activities for young learners. At GGN, your child can engage with interactive boards that allow them to trace letters, numbers, and words in both English and Arabic. This hands-on tech tool provides a fun way to practice writing while building their confidence and skills.
Involving Parents in Literacy Development
Your little one is always interacting with and learning from the world around them. This is why their early writing skills development is influenced by much more than what they learn in the classroom. We encourage you as parents to play an active role in partnership with us and your child in their literacy journey. That’s why you will see parents engaging in our reading activities in the library or discussing reading at home with our team.
We are proud to continue our 10-year journey with the “Growing Little Readers” programme, designed to develop and enhance children’s reading skills and habits at the nursery.
Track and Assess Writing Progress
As partners in your child’s literacy journey, we always keep you up-to-date as we carefully track and assess their writing progress. Our practitioners observe how skills are developing each day through planned activities and use assessments based on individual developmental milestones. We ensure that your child receives the support they need to grow at their own pace.
Outdoor Activities to Support Writing Development
You may be surprised to know that outdoor play is a great opportunity for early writing skill development. Engaging in activities that involve whole-arm movement builds the muscle control required for pencil grip and letter formation, turning outdoor fun into part of their writing journey.
At GGN, we encourage children to make large-scale marks using chalk, paintbrushes with water, or even sticks. This opens the door to many fun, creative activities the kids love that also target a developmental area of growth.
Supporting Children Struggling with Writing
If your child needs extra support with writing skills, our teaching team create personalised plans to help them improve. Accessible activities like disco playdough, hand-eye coordination games, and scissor skills exercises are used to strengthen their fine motor control, helping them develop a strong pincer grip essential for writing.
By working together, we can ensure they grow at their own pace and develop the confidence needed to begin to write and build a deeper understanding of letters and words and how to begin to form them.
GGN: Nurturing Writing From an Early Age
We are committed to providing a nurturing and engaging environment where every child can thrive as they develop their writing skills. Through creative activities, bilingual education, and technology, the GGN team ensures that writing becomes an enjoyable and empowering part of your child’s early learning experience.
If you would like to know more about our early writing skills development philosophy or would like a tour of our campus, reach out to our team today.
