Four ways to strengthen writing in Reception

As a teacher or school leader, you can spark motivation and lay the groundwork for writing right from the start. This article will explore four ways you can strengthen writing in Reception and helps you to reflect and act to support young writers.

Why Reception matters for writing

The Department for Education’s writing framework emphasises the importance of teaching writing in reception.

Reception is fundamentally different from the rest of school. Here creativity, imagination and sheer joy (and sometimes messiness!) take centre stage. Getting the basics right in Reception really matters. When children leave Reception with strong foundations in writing, they’re much more likely to thrive as writers right through primary school. The skills and confidence they build now set them up for success in later years.

Reception is about much more than ticking off goals. It’s about sparking your pupils’ motivation to write and helping them see themselves as writers. That sense of self-belief, built in these early years, will help them tackle any writing challenge as they grow (Ofsted, 2024; Alves, 2019; EEF, 2018)

1) Foster a love of language

Writing, like reading, depends on language. The way you talk with children in the early years makes a huge difference. High-quality adult-child interactions are crucial for developing communication and language (EEF, 2018; Development Matters, 2021).

When adults use rich language and have proper conversations with children – asking questions, listening closely, and introducing new words – it helps build the language skills that writing depends on (Alves, 2019; Falkum, 2019). Language develops through both conversation and experience. Sharing stories, reading together and exploring rhymes, poems and songs all help children develop a genuine love of language. These experiences give your pupils the chance to hear how words work, play with sounds and build up the vocabulary they need for confident communication and successful writing (Department for Education, 2021; EEF, 2018).

High-quality interactions and shared experiences lay the groundwork for writing. They help children see language as enjoyable and useful, making it easier to start writing. By making language a big part of everyday life in the early years, you give your pupils a strong foundation for writing and open a world of possibilities.

Reflection prompts:

• How does your school create a language-rich environment in Reception?
• Are you providing high-quality language interactions and regularly engaging children in activities that promote language development?

Action steps:

• Ensure that the curriculum includes daily storytelling, shared reading and rhymes, and that policies support these activities.
• Explore how high-quality interactions can be enhanced both as part of the universal offer and to support pupil’s individual needs.

2) Create a writing community

Picture your classroom as a place where every child feels welcome to share their writing and try new things. In this kind of writing community, even children who wouldn’t usually pick up a pencil are encouraged and supported.

Building this in Reception takes planning, but it helps every child get involved and enjoy writing. It starts with you creating a space where children feel safe to make mistakes and take risks, knowing their ideas matter (Alves, 2019; EEF, 2018). By modelling writing, sharing stories and celebrating each child’s efforts, you help your pupils see themselves as writers. When writing becomes part of everyday life, your pupils are much more likely to give it a go.

You are not just teaching writing – you are welcoming every child into the world of words and helping them discover how much they have to say.

Reflection prompts:

• How does your school create a supportive writing community in Reception?
• Are children given ample opportunities to engage in emergent writing during play?

Action steps:

• Use staff meetings or informal chats to reflect on the effectiveness of your current approach.
• Talk openly about children who may not choose to write or who find writing challenging. Work together to identify possible reasons and share effective strategies.
• Discuss ways to adapt the environment or routines to make writing more accessible for all children.

3) Start with transcription

Getting comfortable with handwriting and spelling is an important step for young writers.

When children can form letters and spell words easily, they can focus more on expressing their ideas. In Reception, the early learning goal for writing centres on transcription – supporting pupils to form letters, words and simple sentences. Building fluency with these skills goes beyond simply meeting early learning goals. As pupils become fluent in the basics of writing, their confidence and motivation grow. This fluency frees them to concentrate on what they want to say, helping them enjoy writing and share their ideas more effectively (Department for Education, 2021; Education Endowment Foundation, 2018).

Dictation is a useful tool in Reception, often used in phonics lessons where children write sentences using new and previously taught tricky words and letter–sound correspondences (GPCs). When you give children the words to write, they can concentrate on practising their letter formation and spelling, without the extra pressure of thinking up ideas (Ofsted, 2024; EEF, 2018). This not only helps them build fluency and confidence with the basics of writing, but also provides a clear way to assess their progress in handwriting and spelling.

Over time, as your pupils become more comfortable with the mechanics of writing, they will have more space to focus on expressing their own ideas. By starting with transcription, you give children a solid foundation to build on, making writing feel less overwhelming and much more achievable.

Reflection prompts:

• How does your school support children in mastering transcription skills in Reception?
• How are dictation exercises used to help children practise handwriting and spelling?

Action steps:

• Explore the benefits of dictation exercises and how they can be implemented.
• Share with families why early attempts at writing are important milestones. Help parents and carers understand that these first steps show real progress and should be celebrated as part of their child’s journey to becoming a writer.

4) Give explicit handwriting instruction

Writing starts with a strong body: your pupils write best when they can sit, stabilise and move with control. You can help by building up their core, shoulder and wrist strength through daily movement and play, so they are ready to control a pencil (Department for Education, 2021; EEF, 2018). Give children plenty of chances for both big and small movements to set them up for writing.

Emergent writing such as creating scribbles and letter like forms to represent writing is valuable, but it is also important to introduce regular, clear handwriting practice right from the start of Reception. Initially, focus handwriting lessons on the movements needed to form letters, practising at different sizes and learning how to hold a pencil comfortably. From there, move on to more specific handwriting lessons and practice, giving your pupils the skills they need to write with confidence (Graham & Harris, 2000; EEF, 2018). This helps make sure that every child gets the chance to take their first steps as a writer.

Reflection prompts:

• How does your school support the development of motor skills needed for writing in Reception?
• How are children given regular opportunities to build core, shoulder and wrist strength through movement and play?
• How does your school introduce handwriting instruction in Reception?
• How do you provide regular, structured opportunities for children to practise handwriting?

Action steps:

• Include daily indoor and outdoor activities that build core, shoulder and wrist strength. Encourage all children, even reluctant writers, to take part and develop their motor skills.
• Develop a structured handwriting programme for Reception and beyond that includes opportunities practice and explicit instruction.

This explainer is part of a series for teachers and school leaders on how to navigate the writing framework. Explore the other articles.

References

• Alves, R. (2019). The early steps in becoming a writer: Enabling participation in a literate world. In S. E. Israel (Ed.), The international handbook of literacy and technology. Routledge.
• Byington, T.A. and Kim, Y. (2017). ‘Promoting preschoolers’ emergent writing’. Young Children, November 2017. Available at: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2017/emergent-writing
• Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition from Novice to Expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51.
• Department for Education (DfE). (2021). Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. GOV.UK.
• Development Matters. (2021). Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage. GOV.UK.
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). (2018). Preparing for Literacy: Improving Communication, Language and Literacy in the Early Years. London: Education Endowment Foundation.
• Ferreiro, E. (1998). Writing systems and psychogenesis of written language. In C. Pontecorvo (Ed.), Writing Development: An Interdisciplinary View (pp. 57–73). John Benjamins.
• Falkum, I.L. (2019). Children are born communicators. Journal of Child Language, 46(3), 561–589.
• Graham, S., & Harris, K. R. (2000). The role of handwriting and spelling instruction in writing development. Educational Psychologist, 35(1), 3–13.
• Ofsted. (2024). English subject report: High-quality writing in the early years. GOV.UK.
• Pastore, M., et al. (2011). Print awareness and early writing development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(4), 471–480.