Get Them Writing!

Once pre-schoolers get interested in letters and sounds and writing, there is so much you can do to encourage them and inspire them to really enjoy the idea of writing and learning about words.  Here are a few easy ideas to introduce words into their everyday life.

1. Menu: Write a list of what's for breakfast; a choice of cereals, toast and spreads etc.  Ask them to match the words on the menu with the words on the milk carton, jam jar etc.  Look at the letters together and make a match.
2. Name cards: If you have some friends or family over to dinner, write out some name cards.  Write each person's name on a piece of card and place it around the table.  Ask you little one to help with this and decide who sits where.
3. Tea party: Get some tea things ready (sandwich, cake, tomato, cucumber) and write on some paper what each thing is.  Stick the labels onto some cocktail sticks and ask your child to poke the labels into the appropriate food.
4. Headed paper: Take some paper and write or print your child's name at the top in fancy writing.  This can be used for thank you notes or letters.  Get them to decorate it or colour in the letters of their name.
5. Labels: Write some labels for items round the house: television, door, window, sink etc and ask your child to attach the labels with tape or blue tack to the right things.  Take the labels off after a day or so and see if they can re-attach them on their own.  They will eventually recognise the words and match them on their own.
6. Letter spot: If you are reading a newspaper or magazine, see if your child can recognise some of the letters in the headlines.  Show them and look at the letters and easy words together.  Cut some out and make a sign or send a message made of letters cut from a newspaper.