4.+HANDWRITING+Magic+Caterpillar+shapes,+lower+case+letters+a-z,+numbers


 * __HANDWRITING __**

The Magic Caterpillar handwriting process is based on ‘The Casey Caterpillar’ storybook written by Barbara Brann. The story is a great hook and helps children to remember the shapes that form the letters. There are 13 basic shapes that make up the 26 letters of the alphabet.

We teach the lower case letters first because these are the letters that children will use for most of their story writing.

 Before drawing the letters or numbers learners need to be familiar with the story and the Magic Caterpillar shapes. They need lots of opportunities to practise the shapes using large movements on whiteboards or blank sheets of paper.

 The approach is successful because it is multi-sensory and it's fun.
 * children are asked to first watch the formation of each shape to see how the shape is formed correctly before they make their own attempt
 * when drawing the letters (a-z) encourage your child to sing the words out loud – songs have rhythm, they are catchy - this will help them to remember

 Before starting:
 * Check that your child is sitting with a writing body.
 * Check that your child is holding their pencil with the correct grip.