At Abingdon Nursery, the journey to becoming a confident writer starts long before children pick up a pencil!
Did you know that climbing, balancing, painting, pouring and even playing with sand all help children get ready to write?
At Abingdon Nursery, we know that writing is about much more than holding a pencil. Before children can form letters, they need to develop strong bodies, good balance and control of their movements. These important skills are built every day through exciting, playful experiences, both indoors and outdoors.
Our Nursery environment is full of opportunities for children to develop these skills. Whether they are climbing, carrying, scooping, squeezing, painting or making marks, every activity helps strengthen the muscles they need in their shoulders, arms, wrists and hands.
Our two-year-olds are busy exploring, experimenting and building these foundations through play. Our three- and four-year-olds are building on these skills, developing greater control and beginning to make more detailed marks and patterns.
We carefully choose open-ended resources so children can use their imagination, follow their interests and discover new ways to learn. Our adults play an important role too. They observe, encourage, join in and introduce new challenges to help every child take their next steps.
This approach links closely to our bespoke Abingdon Curriculum Progression, ensuring that children develop the skills they need at the right stage, building confidence and independence as they grow.
It also helps us develop our ARCH values:
- Ambition: Having a go, trying new things and developing new skills.
- Respect: Looking after our resources, our environment and each other.
- Collaboration: Playing together, sharing ideas and learning from our friends.
- Honesty: Exploring, experimenting and celebrating our achievements.
Every climb, splash, squeeze and scribble has a purpose! These playful experiences are laying the foundations for future learning and helping our youngest children become confident, capable learners.
So, the next time you see your child covered in paint, busy in the sandpit or proudly carrying a bucket, remember – they could be getting ready to write
Strong bodies, strong hands and happy learners. That’s how we get ready to write at Abingdon.
