We believe that developing confident, enthusiastic writers is a partnership between school and home. Writing is about much more than putting words on a page. It begins with talking, listening, imagining, exploring language and having something meaningful to say.

There are lots of simple ways to support your child's writing at home and they don't need to involve worksheets or formal lessons!

Talk Before Writing

Talking is one of the most important foundations for writing. Children need opportunities to develop their ideas, practise sentences and explore vocabulary before they can confidently express themselves on paper.

You can help by:

• Talking about everyday experiences and encouraging your child to explain their thinking.

• Sharing stories, making up characters and imagining what might happen next.

• Introducing interesting words and discussing what they mean.

• Encouraging your child to say a sentence aloud before writing it.

• Asking open-ended questions such as Why do you think that happened? or What could happen next?

The more confidently children can express their ideas aloud, the more confidently they can begin to express them in writing.

Make Writing Meaningful

Children are often most motivated to write when they have a real reason to do so.

Writing opportunities might include:

• Shopping lists, birthday cards and invitations.

• Notes and messages for family members.

• Recipes, instructions and directions.

• Diaries, holiday journals and postcards.

• Stories, comics, poems and fact files.

• Reviews of books, films or places they have visited.

Encourage children to make their own decisions about what they want to write and how they want to present it. Writing should be purposeful, enjoyable and creative.

Encourage Independence and Confidence

Learning to write takes time and mistakes are a natural part of the process.

When supporting your child:

• Praise their ideas, effort and creativity, not just their spelling or handwriting.

• Encourage them to say their sentence aloud before writing.

• Give them time to think, experiment and make their own choices.

• Help them use familiar strategies to work out spellings rather than immediately providing every answer.

• Focus on one or two improvements rather than correcting everything.

• Celebrate the finished piece and encourage them to share it with someone.

It is important that children feel ownership of their writing. Helping them develop independence is far more valuable than producing a perfectly corrected piece of work.

Reading and Writing Together

Reading and writing are closely connected. Through books, children encounter new vocabulary, interesting sentence structures, different writing styles and exciting ideas.

Sharing books together provides opportunities to discuss characters, settings, events and the choices authors make.

You might ask:

• What do you like about the way the author has described this?

• Can you think of another word that might work here?

• How has the author made this part exciting?

• What would you write if you were continuing the story?

Children can also borrow ideas from favourite books and use them as inspiration for their own writing.

Supporting Children at Different Ages

Nursery and Reception

Writing begins long before children can form letters independently. Encourage mark-making, drawing, storytelling, imaginative play and activities that develop hand strength and coordination. Celebrate children's attempts to communicate meaning through pictures, marks and early writing.

Years 1 and 2

Encourage children to rehearse sentences aloud, use their phonics knowledge, write for real purposes and begin to reread their work. Help them develop confidence in constructing sentences while allowing opportunities for creativity and independence.

Years 3 and 4

Encourage children to develop their ideas, organise their writing and experiment with vocabulary and sentence structures. Discuss how different types of writing are organised and help them consider the reader.

Years 5 and 6

Support children in writing for different audiences and purposes. Encourage them to make deliberate choices about vocabulary, tone, organisation and style. Discuss how they can review and improve their writing while maintaining their own voice.

Further Support

We have additional information and resources available to help families support specific aspects of writing.

Handwriting at Home

Find out how we teach handwriting through Kinetic Letters, including practical activities, letter formation guidance and resources to support handwriting development.

Spelling at Home

Learn about our approach to spelling, including Little Wandle, Spelling Shed, online practice and our Parent and Carer Guide.

Most Importantly...

Writing should be something children feel confident and excited to explore.

You do not need to recreate school lessons at home. Sharing stories, having conversations, encouraging imagination and finding genuine reasons to write can make an enormous difference.

A little encouragement, regularly given, can help children develop into confident, capable and enthusiastic writers.