Handwriting

At St Mary’s we aim for children to achieve a neat, legible style with correctly formed letters in accordance with the cursive font, develop flow and speed and eventually produce the letters automatically and in their independent writing. Children must be able to write with ease, speed and legibility and cursive handwriting teaches pupils to join letters and words as a series of flowing movements to support this. Children also understand the importance of clear and neat presentation in order to communicate meaning clearly and are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work which includes neat cursive handwriting.

The journey to neat, legible handwriting starts with the gross motor skills of our children. In order to be able to write legibly, children must be able to sit up at a table for a sustained amount of time, they must develop their core strength through physical learning and PE. Fine motor skills come into play and children develop these skills in a variety of ways both at school and at home.

  •  
Click to Download Handwriting statement [pdf 1MB] Click to Download
IMG 7598

Pre-Handwriting

At St. Mary's we spend a lot of time in reception and year 1 developing these skills through a range of fun activities which you can also try at home;

Manipulative Play:

  • Playdough: rolling, squeezing, pinching, cutting

  • Using tongs or tweezers to pick up small objects

  • Sorting buttons, coins, or pom-poms

  • Screwing/unscrewing nuts and bolts

  • Using clothes pegs to clip onto objects

Practical Life Skills:

  • Buttoning shirts or zipping jackets

  • Tying shoelaces or fastening buckles

  • Opening containers or lids

  • Using cutlery properly (spoon, fork, knife)

  • Pouring water from a jug into cups

Cutting and Crafts:

  • Cutting along lines with scissors

  • Tearing paper into shapes or strips

  • Folding paper (origami or card-making)

  • Gluing small pieces (mosaics, collage)

  • Threading beads onto string or pipe cleaners

Creative and mark making activities:

  • Drawing & colouring with crayons or pencils

  • Painting with brushes, cotton buds, or fingers

  • Using stencils or tracing shapes

  • Sticker peeling and sticking

  • Sponge painting or stamping