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What age group?
What's wrong with paper and pencils? Give them a variety of paper and writing implements to choose in your writing area, include different colours and sizes, post-it notes, envelopes, rolls of paper etc. and access to glue sticks, sellotape, paper clips. Have clipboards and pens or pencils, post its, notebooks, exercise books, etc. placed in all your other areas so they can writie while they are there.
At the moment I've got scrolls made from paper discoloured with tea bags and rolled up in my castle role play along with a quill pen made from a feather taped to a biro. I've got a clipboard next to some castle and knights small world play and they use it for noting down the score between two sets of knights, I haven't been able to fathom their rules yet but never mind! I've got small world superhero characters made from laminated photos of some of the boys dressed up and mounted on wooden blocks placed on my Author's table with appropriate vocabulary and small blank books for them to write in, these are well used. Laminated photos of other children are mixed with the wooden fairytale characters in a fairytale small world setting along with a clipboard, I haven't had much writing in that area yet but a lot of verbal story telling. Don't forget paper on clipboards, long rolls of wallpaper as well as whiteboards and pens, chalkboards and large chalks for writing on the ground outside.
In the past I've had paper and a plastic bottle near pirate small world play and they used it for writing messages. It was hard getting the scrunched up paper out of the bottle but certain reluctant boys improved rapidly.
Most important - celebrate any writing that they do. Share it with the class - praise the letter formation, the quantity, the firm positive pencil strokes, the attempt at using letter sounds, anything positive at all - the other children will take their cue from this and want to get in on it.
I agree with InkyP mashed potato is fun and so is paint and sand and mud and ... but in reception they need to use pen/pencil and paper and sometimes reluctant boys have to do things they don't automatically choose. It's not what they use to mark make with it's giving it a purpose that is important and why any child chooses to write.
Our nursery boys were very taken with paper sellotaped to the underside of tables. They lay on cushions and had a lot of fun - good for hand strength too.
Letter formation is of prime importance [sorry to state the obvious] in reception and you need something a lot more structured and, yes, monitor-able than vague squishy activities if you want to make sure it's developing well.
InkyPWhat's wrong with paper and pencils?
Mszbut in reception they need to use pen/pencil and paper and sometimes reluctant boys have to do things they don't automatically choose.
I think you need to be clear whether you want exciting mark making activities or you want to encourage reluctant boys to engage in writing (emergent or more structured) because however exciting the mark making is it is not going to make boys want to write only to make marks, which is fine in itself as it develops lots of skills.
Hi some ideas I use in my room are;
Taping down wall paper and giving a selection of mark making tools- they love this as they feel there writing on the table.
Clip boards everywhere especially in the construction area as they make plans for their models.
Coloured sand in shallow trays to use paint brushes/fingers etc.
Magnifying glasses outside to hunt for words and write them.
Home corner- shopping lists, copying out of catalogues, telephone numbers from the phone book etc.
We put crates tyers and police fancy dress costumes outside and they loved writing the names of who they caught and writing a sign for their police station.
and lots of other random bits and pieces that work with our daily routines in Rec.
Msz I think you need to be clear whether you want exciting mark making activities or you want to encourage reluctant boys to engage in writing (emergent or more structured) because however exciting the mark making is it is not going to make boys want to write only to make marks, which is fine in itself as it develops lots of skills.
Had you said that was what you wanted I would have posted ideas for mark making unfortunately they won't encourage relucatant boys to want to write!
korunot interested in a debate
Come on, Koru - the debate is needed and one day you'll join in with alacrity.
Why are you not interested in debate? Should we not be quetioning our practice?
I'm so pleased we aren't alone in having enthusiastic boys when it comes to reading and writing.
"Driving" the toy cars through paint then driving them around the paper. ~or wheeled vehicles outdoors
Sponge pan scourers in paint. or large sponge floor mops
Bubble wrap is good - get them to paint the bubbly side then lay a sheet of paper on top.
Painting with decorators brushes
Shaving brushes are good in paint, easier than paint brushes for little hands,
feathers in paint
roll tyres/balls through paint
sticks and mud
washing up liquid bottles with water or watery paint
plant sprays and paint
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