{"id":2770,"date":"2021-10-06T16:51:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T15:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/?page_id=120"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:42:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:42:30","slug":"emerging-literacy-pre-writing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-pre-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Emerging Literacy &amp; English, (pre) writing"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"builder-section-text_11\" class=\"builder-section-first builder-section builder-section-text builder-section-next-text builder-section-full-width builder-text-columns-2 layout-9\" style=\"background-size: cover; background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center center;\">\n<div class=\"builder-section-content\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-row\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-1\" id=\"builder-section-text_11-column-1\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<h1><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17252 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2025\/11\/24141652\/Curriculum-icon-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2025\/11\/24141652\/Curriculum-icon-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2025\/11\/24141652\/Curriculum-icon.png 756w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px\" \/><\/h1>\n<h1><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-and-english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Emerging Literacy &amp; English<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #003300;\">(Pre-hand) Writing\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-prehandwriting-resources-and-collated-guidance-pages\/\"><strong>Resources <\/strong><\/a><strong><span class=\"ttfmake-icon mceNonEditable fas\">\uf0ad<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What is it?<\/h3>\n<p>(Pre-hand) writing skills range from gross to fine motor movements, including scissor skills.\u00a0 These enable children to develop the movement and coordination to mark-make with increasing control and accuracy, leading to the correct formation of letters.<\/p>\n<p><cite>&#8220;We all have a sensory system called the vestibular system which gives us <\/cite><cite>our sense of balance and spatial awareness. It helps us coordinate our large <\/cite><cite>and fine motor movements and maintain our posture. The development of <\/cite><cite>movement and coordination for a child is linked to communication and <\/cite><cite>cognitive development. For instance, a young child with an developing <\/cite><cite>vestibular system will find it almost impossible to sit still for any length of time <\/cite><cite>or possess the fine motor skills and coordination required for writing before <\/cite><cite>they are ready. This is why observations of a children\u2019s actions are crucial to <\/cite><cite>inform our practice and ensure it is developmentally appropriate.\u00a0 <\/cite><cite>The best way to help babies and young children develop this system is <\/cite><cite>through providing daily opportunities for physical play, especially outdoors.&#8221;<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/education.gov.scot\/media\/3bjpr3wa\/realisingtheambition.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Realising the Ambition<\/a>, Education Scotland, 2020, p. 24)<\/p>\n<h3>Key messages:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Practitioners must complete SBC Early Years Emerging Literacy training packages 1-4, and then use these sessions to support whole setting professional dialogue to evaluate current provision, develop practice and improve outcomes for all children.<\/li>\n<li>Practitioners use the SBC Developmental Overviews and SBC trackers to recognise and plan for the developmental stage of children\u2019s pre-writing skills (see tabs at the bottom of this page).<\/li>\n<li>Knowledgeable practitioners share, value, understand and support the developmental progression and gross and fine motor control stages.\u00a0 This is inclusive of:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Observing<\/li>\n<li>Interacting<\/li>\n<li>Planning<\/li>\n<li>Provision of opportunities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The continuous provision provides daily, developmentally appropriate opportunities for pre-writing and mark-making skills across all <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/spaces\/\" rel=\"noopener\">spaces<\/a>, indoors and out.<\/li>\n<li>Practitioners plan, provide and interact with daily developmentally appropriate and progressive opportunities for fine and gross motor control skills development, indoors and \u2018writing for a purpose\u2019.<\/li>\n<li>P1 teachers use the screening tools to assess children\u2019s development before introducing formal handwriting instruction (<a href=\"https:\/\/highlandliteracy.com\/emerging-literacy-pencil-control-skills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Emerging Literacy \u2013 Pencil Control Skills<\/strong><\/a>, Highland Literacy).<\/li>\n<li>P1 teachers use the guidance on the Highland Literacy website for formal letter formation and handwriting (<a href=\"https:\/\/highlandliteracy.com\/emerging-literacy-pencil-control-skills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Emerging Literacy \u2013 Pencil Control Skills<\/strong><\/a>, Highland Literacy).<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-2\" id=\"builder-section-text_11-column-2\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<h4 style=\"text-align: right;\">\u00a0<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>SBC Early Years BITESIZE training video Pre-Writing:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ttfmake-embed-wrapper aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Emerging Literacy Pre writing skills - BITESIZE ELC\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Foi13DtpLcQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Follow link for <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/na\/public\/familylearning\/uploads\/sites\/19196\/2021\/02\/05161701\/A-list-of-Acronyms-used-in-Scottish-Education-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">acronyms<\/a>\u00a0used in presentations<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>No supporting materials<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>To see all the SBC Early Years training videos visit:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PL81E7n3TgROMjNI0UcoSxZ9I0aUZ6hsSC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15426 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2023\/12\/12105550\/SBC-Early-Years-Training-packages-logo-FINAL-1-1024x989.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2023\/12\/12105550\/SBC-Early-Years-Training-packages-logo-FINAL-1-1024x989.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2023\/12\/12105550\/SBC-Early-Years-Training-packages-logo-FINAL-1-300x290.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2023\/12\/12105550\/SBC-Early-Years-Training-packages-logo-FINAL-1-768x741.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2023\/12\/12105550\/SBC-Early-Years-Training-packages-logo-FINAL-1.png 1071w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"builder-section-text_30\" class=\"builder-section-prev-text builder-section builder-section-text builder-section-last builder-section-full-width builder-text-columns-2 layout-9\" style=\"background-size: cover; background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center center;\">\n<div class=\"builder-section-content\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-row\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-1\" id=\"builder-section-text_30-column-1\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<h3>Ways we can do this:<\/h3>\n<p>Knowledgeable practitioners share, understand, value and support the developmental progression of stages of writing.\u00a0 This is inclusive of:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Observing:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Practitioners use their observations and knowledge of children\u2019s interests and motivations to enhance their provision using stimuli to inspire children to mark-make, e.g. making signs for a den, map-making.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Interacting:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Practitioners value, notice and respond to all children\u2019s mark-making and emerging writing.\u00a0 Practitioners show interest in pieces the children share and use as an opportunity for discussion, modelling, explaining and teaching points.<\/p>\n<p>Practitioners verbalise their thinking whilst modelling writing (making the purpose explicit) and support children to do the same.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Planning:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Practitioners engage in professional learning, developing a detailed knowledge and understanding of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Different stages of physical motor development, e.g. pivot control, gross and fine motor skills and pencil grip<\/li>\n<li>Sensory integration<\/li>\n<li>Pencil control skills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These experiences are visible within the planning and spaces that provide rich \u2018levelled\u2019 (differentiated) opportunities to support each individual.<\/p>\n<p>SBC Developmental Overviews and Literacy Trackers are kept current.\u00a0 These are used to identify any \u2018shared gaps in learning\u2019, which are targeted through the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/intentional-planning\/\" rel=\"noopener\">intentional promotion<\/a>\u00a0and possible individual lines of development that use the children\u2019s interests and dispositions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Provision of opportunities:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><em>\u201cIt is the brain that learns \u2013 the brain that learns to write, not the hand.\u00a0 This means that a child can be working on their Pre-Writing skills without a pencil in their hand.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>(<strong>Pre-writing skills<\/strong>, SBC EYTT Emerging Literacy Pre-Writing Training Package, Highland Literacy, 2016)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Provision of developmentally appropriate opportunities for motor control skills progression:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Plentiful, well-resourced spaces with various large and small vertical and horizontal surfaces to work on both indoors and outdoors.\u00a0 Resourcing should be found within a mark-making area and throughout the setting, e.g. notepads, menus, diaries, cards, range of papers, envelopes and post-it notes.<\/p>\n<p>An accessible variety of high-quality, natural mark-making tools, e.g. twigs, stones, feathers, alongside various sizes and thicknesses of writing implements, e.g. pencils, pens, crayons, and chalks, develop children\u2019s pincer grip and pressure control.<\/p>\n<p>Daily opportunities for children to use a range of developmentally appropriate scissors to develop cutting skills and joining materials to meet the motor control needs of all, e.g. glue sticks, spreaders, PVA glue, tape, stapler, string, pegs, split-pins and hole-punches.<\/p>\n<p>Daily opportunities for developing hand strength using malleable materials of differing consistencies, e.g. foam, playdough, clay, plasticine (Getting Ready to Write, Alistair Bryce-Clegg, 2013 and <a href=\"https:\/\/abcdoes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ABC Does blog<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Developmentally appropriate opportunities for \u2018writing for purpose\u2019:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Daily opportunities to model writing for a purpose, e.g. writing observations with the child, registration, risk assessments and notes home.<\/p>\n<p>Daily opportunities for children to engage in \u2019emergent writing\u2019 through play for different purposes, e.g. cards, menus, customer orders, recipes, instructions, labelling of pictures and other creations.<\/p>\n<p>Practitioners use setting routines to provide and explore purposeful environmental print, e.g. snack or lunch menus, children\u2019s risk assessments and self-registration (<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/making-learning-visible\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Making Learning Visible<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-concepts-of-print\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Concepts of Print<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Additional handwriting support documents:\u00a0\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/highlandliteracy.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/07\/handwriting-foundations-and-building-blocks.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Teaching Handwriting &#8211; the Foundations and Building Blocks<\/a>, Highland Literacy, 2018)<\/p>\n<h4>Learn more about\u00a0<span class=\"ttfmake-icon mceNonEditable fas\">\uf0a9<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-oral-language-phonological-awareness\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Oral Language &amp; Phonological Awareness\/Listening &amp; Talking<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Learn more about\u00a0<span class=\"ttfmake-icon mceNonEditable fas\">\uf0a9<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-and-english\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Emerging Literacy &amp; English<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<h4>Learn more about\u00a0<span class=\"ttfmake-icon mceNonEditable fas\">\uf0a9<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-concepts-of-print\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Concepts of Print\/Pre-Reading &amp; Emergent Writing<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-2\" id=\"builder-section-text_30-column-2\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emerging Literacy &amp; English (Pre-hand) Writing\u00a0 Resources \uf0ad What is it? (Pre-hand) writing skills range from gross to fine motor movements, including scissor skills.\u00a0 These enable children to develop the movement and coordination to mark-make with increasing control and accuracy, leading to the correct formation of letters. &#8220;We all have a sensory system called the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7767,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-builder.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2770","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7767"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2770"}],"version-history":[{"count":102,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21093,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2770\/revisions\/21093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}