Children learn a lot about writing before they begin school simply by seeing language around them. They are surrounded by print: on road signs, food packets, in books, magazines and catalogues.

We learn to talk by joining in with words as we hear them used. In the same way, especially in homes where people write things down, children learn a lot about writing through joining in and having a go.

When your child writes, first of all she has to decide what to say. Then she has to be able to write it down. These two key aspects of writing, planning and actual writing, are constantly taught and practised throughout the primary years.

Mastering the writing skills of spelling, handwriting and punctuation is important. Being confident in these skills allows children to put their energy into composing what they want to say. The flow of writing is spoilt if children have to write very slowly because handwriting skills haven't been developed or they need to keep stopping to look up spellings.

Unfortunately, it can be easy to spot mistakes in writing, so parents often worry when spellings are wrong, work appears untidy or a full stop is missing. Your child, particularly in the early stages, will find it difficult to focus on everything at once.

However, it's important to read what the writing says and celebrate that first of all, rather than to focus entirely on errors. Try to pick out the best bits to praise: it could be a great ending or a clear description. If a tricky word has been used in an interesting way, this should be praised even if it is spelled wrongly.

Of course, it's important that children eventually learn to write accurately, too. But if you do correct your child's mistakes, focus on a small number of points: perhaps one or two spellings, or adding full stops. If spelling lists are sent home try to make practice fun by playing games that encourage careful listening to the sounds in words and looking for letter patterns.

Young children usually write about subjects of immediate interest, in a style that sounds like speech written down. This changes gradually as they come into contact with a wider range of writing styles.

Through constantly hearing how written language differs from speech, children become aware of writing conventions and phrases such as 'Once upon a time...' Gradually the more formal structure of non-fiction texts begins to occur in their written work, too. Children learn to use paragraphs and to structure their writing to build up drama or develop an argument.

To ensure this happens in a systematic way most schools now follow the guidance of the National Literacy Strategy, which includes poetry, fiction and non-fiction writing in each term's teaching plan. When your children have writing homework, encourage them to say what they want to write before they record it. Then ask them to keep re-reading what they have written, asking themselves: 'Does it sound right?' and 'Does it make sense?'

Based on an article by Judith Puddick

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