Handy Handwriting Help

Scroll down to learn about how to help your child to develop a good handwriting grip and to find out how to access our Letter-join resource at home...

Developing a Good Handwriting Grip

Although children learn to use a proper handwriting grip by the age of about five or six, many opportunities to improve fine motor skills are provided before this point. For example, activities such as, picking up pompoms with tweezers and separating a mix of smaller materials into different containers, all help a child to improve their dexterity over time. 

Pinch, Pinch, Flip

In school, we use a rhyme to help the children to remember how to hold their pencil - nip, nip, flip. First the child nips the tips of the their thumb and index finger together. Then they repeat this, but this time, holding onto the pencil. Finally, they flip the pencil over. 

The video below demonstrates this rhyme in action...

Letter-join at Home

In school, we use the resource called Letter-join for our handwriting. Our partnership between home and school is so important and it is important that families are able to access this resource from home. 

By using the site, parents, carers and children are able to watch letter formation videos and try out a range of activities. The facility to click on your child's year group means that the swap to joined in Year Two is reflected in the activities provided. 

Parent and Child Access to Letter-join

Website: https://www.letterjoin.co.uk/log-in.html

User name: dw1277

PC password: home 

Tablet password/swipecode on the app: A capital L starting top-left

After selecting the correct class, choose an option from the menu. The B!5 and Wow sections are very useful. Why not invite your child to use a pencil and paper to try out a letter or word again and again. Writing on screen is great, but having a go with a pencil is very important. Ask your child to look back at their tries from the beginning of the holiday to see how much you have improved!