Building Strong Bodies for Writing

At Oakengates Nursery School, we use an early Kinetic Letters approach to support children’s physical development and prepare them for writing.

Our practice is research-informed and based on the work of Margaret Williamson, whose work shows that children need strong bodies as well as strong hands.

Rather than beginning with pencil control alone, Kinetic Letters starts with whole-body movement, building the physical foundations children need for mark making and early writing.

Why Gross Motor Skills are Important

Young children need time to develop:

• core strength

• shoulder stability (shoulder girdle)

• pelvic control and posture

• balance and body awareness

These large muscle groups support children to:

• sit upright and strong

• stabilise their arms

• control movement

• maintain stamina for learning

Without these foundations, fine motor control is much harder to achieve.

That’s why our Kinetic Letters approach begins with big movements and active play.

Early Kinetic Letters in Toddler and Preschool

In our Toddler and Preschool rooms, children take part in fun, age-appropriate gross motor activities inspired by Kinetic Letters.

These include playful, yoga-style positions such as:

• Penguin – building posture and balance

• Lizard – strengthening shoulders and core

• Strong Bear – developing upper body strength and stability

Children practise these positions through movement games, stories, imitation and floor-based activities, helping them to:

• strengthen their core muscles

• develop shoulder and pelvic stability

• improve coordination and body awareness

• build confidence in movement

These activities are joyful and engaging, supporting physical development while also developing listening, attention and self-regulation.

Preparing the Hand for Writing

Alongside gross motor development, we progressively plan fine motor experiences to prepare children’s hands for writing.

Children are supported to build:

• hand and finger strength

• bilateral coordination (using both hands together)

• wrist stability

• controlled grasp

This happens through carefully planned activities such as:

• playdough and malleable materials

• squeezing, pinching and poking

• threading and posting

• using tools (tweezers, scissors, pre-woodwork tools)

• mark making in many forms (sensory, large-scale and small-scale)

These experiences strengthen the muscles needed for holding a pencil and support children to develop control, precision and confidence.

A Progressive Approach (Birth–4)

Our Kinetic Letters approach sits within our wider Physical Development curriculum and links directly to our Bespoke Knowledge and Skills Grids.

Staff carefully observe, assess and plan next steps so that:

• gross motor strength develops before fine motor precision

• children move from large movements to smaller, controlled actions

• activities are matched to each child’s stage of development

• learning builds progressively over time

This ensures children are physically ready for early writing when the time is right.

Supporting School Readiness

By combining:

• core strength

• shoulder stability

• pelvic control

• fine motor development

• confident mark making

we help children develop the physical foundations needed for sitting well, concentrating and engaging successfully in early writing activities.

Our Kinetic Letters approach supports children to become confident movers, confident learners and confident mark makers - laying strong foundations for Reception and beyond.