Here are some tips to help with writing and pencil control at home:

• Encourage correct pencil grip ( pencil grippers may be useful for this) I can provide more information on the type that might best suit your child. 
• In the summer term we are beginning to write sentences. Encourage children to remember finger spaces, capital letters and full stops. When writing ask children to say the sentence first before writing it. It might be helpful for children to record what they are going to write ( on a phone) before writing it down. This way they don't have to remember the whole sentence. Make sure children sound out the whole word and not just parts of it!

• Fine motor activities will help to build muscles in hands to create better control. Examples of these are:
  • Playing with playdough ( creating balls/sausages/pancakes/pinching the playdough). Children should not use the table to roll playdough etc but should try and keep in in their hands at all times.
  • Using tweezers to pick up pompoms/pasta etc
  • Playing with sponges. Allow children to soak a sponge then squeeze it out.
  • Rices races – Have a race to see who can use tweezers to put all the rice into a bowl. If rice is too small try cheerios.
  • Make cheerios snakes – thread cheerios onto a pipe cleaner.
  • Threading and slotting – ideas including ribbons into sieves, straws into a cheese grater, beads onto spaghetti, coins in a money box
  • Fill spray bottles with water for a water fight in hot weather. The squeezing hand motion is great for pencil control. 
  • Keep using scissors. Remind children to keep their thumb facing up. If they find cutting paper tricky, begin with making snips in play foam.
  • When children write letters, be sure to correct letter formation. Consistently incorrect formation will make it very difficult for children to join their handwriting later on. Handwriting doesn’t always have to be putting pen to paper. Why not try tracing letters in sand or with shaving foam?