How to celebrate all attempts at writing
Valuing your child's attempts at writing, regardless of the outcome, is crucial in nurturing a "can do" attitude. When children feel their efforts are appreciated, they develop confidence and a willingness to take risks. This positive reinforcement encourages them to explore their creativity and express themselves without the fear of judgment or failure. By focusing on their progress and celebrating their efforts, rather than just the final result, parents and educators create a supportive environment where children learn that persistence and practice lead to improvement. This mindset not only enhances their writing skills but also instils a lifelong love for learning and resilience in facing challenges across various aspects of life. Encouragement and constructive feedback can transform a child's writing journey into a rewarding experience, fostering a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy. They say ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ and this is never more true than when accepting a note from a child that’s hardly legible and looks to have been used as a tissue for the day... this is their treasure and they are sharing it with you... act delighted!
Tips for success:
All writing is writing
Writing starts with simply making marks that a child can ascribe meaning to. It’s important not just to focus on what a child knows but how they learn. One of the three characteristics of effective learning is “being willing to ‘have a go’” and this attitude has a better chance of displaying itself if you value any writing your child produces. This includes displaying it on walls, fridges, radiators etc.
2. Presentation
Handwriting is a process and that’s before we start introducing the idea that these letters that make words need to sit on a line! Top tip: the neater you want your child to write the smaller the space you give them - give a child a blank piece of paper, guaranteed they’ll write their name the size of it - give them a post-it and miracles can happen.
3. Spelling
Writing is a combination of: words children just need to know as you can’t ‘sound them out’ - they can be called ‘whole sight words’, ‘rainbow words’ or ‘tricky words’ depending on the phonic scheme your child’s school uses. We would expect these to be spelt correctly. Phonetically plausible attempts - until the child learns the correct spelling pattern they should apply their phonic knowledge. If a child spells ‘lovely’ ‘luvlee’ - this should be celebrated.