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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Handwriting practice: patterning 1

Handwriting practice: patterning 1
This handwriting worksheet was created by an expert to help prepare young children for writing the letters of the alphabet.

Patterning is a vital first step for learning handwriting. Introduce your child to creative, fun doodling and start building their handwriting skills today.
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Keystage:  EYFS, Reception, KS1, Year 1

How can your young child practise their handwriting?

Your child can practise handwriting by starting with basic fine motor skills activities, like colouring, drawing shapes, tracing lines and patterning. 

Playing with clay or dough can strengthen their hand muscles. 

You can also encourage them to trace letters in sand or use finger paints. 

These fun activities help build the foundation for writing letters later on.

What is patterning and how does it help with handwriting?

Patterning is the ability to recognise, create and extend sequences based on a specific order or rule, such as alternating colours or shapes. 

It helps with handwriting by developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and the ability to follow sequences and rules. 

Practicing patterns can improve a child's ability to form consistent letter shapes and understand the repetitive motions involved in writing.

How will this handwriting worksheet help your child?

This expert-created activity is designed to improve your child's fine-motor skills and help prepare them for forming letters. It is an enjoyable and simple activity that will encourage them to practise holding a writing tool and copying repetitive patterns. 

For more help with handwriting, visit our hub page, or try a new challenge such as our Maypole finger strength activity.