Fine motor building

15th May 2026Elizabeth Frost

One day each week in Crew Frost, we spend time focusing on developing our fine motor skills through activities such as using scissors to cut along lines and around shapes. Cutting is an excellent skill to master in the Early Years, as it supports so many of the important skills children need as they begin their writing journey.

The children are learning how to separate and strengthen the muscles in their fingers and hands whilst carefully controlling the scissors. They are also developing their hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills as they work out how to move the paper and scissors together whilst trying to stay on the lines. This takes a huge amount of concentration, control, and perseverance.

Alongside this, we have been practising our “ready to write” positioning by sitting with our tummy to the table and all six chair legs on the floor. Developing core strength, balance, and posture is a very important part of early writing development, helping children to gain the stability needed for mark making and pencil control in the future.

Although cutting may look simple, it is actually a very tricky skill that requires children to coordinate many different movements at the same time. We are so proud of the resilience, determination, and focus Crew Frost have shown whilst practising these important skills. Well done, Crew Frost — it is much harder than it looks!

Easter Week.

13th April 2026Nicole Tymon

Before the Easter Holidays, we finished our paper mâché nests and decorated them, ready for the Easter Bunny. The children have also made Easter cards, creating bunnies out of handprints.

Using concrete resources, we incorporated Easter into our maths lessons with number matching and colour-by-number activities. We then used Easter in our phonics lessons to support blending CVC words. These activities were completed with minimal adult support—fantastic work!

Hope you all had a lovely Easter break!

Phonics in action.

6th February 2026Elizabeth Frost

During this focused activity, the children’s early phonic awareness was assessed and further developed. The children were challenged to sort a range of familiar objects according to two initial sounds they have been learning through the Read Write Inc. phonics scheme.

This activity provided a valuable opportunity to observe the children’s ability to listen attentively, recognise initial sounds and apply their growing phonics knowledge with confidence. The children demonstrated strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they discussed their choices and organised the objects appropriately.

Activities such as this highlight the importance of secure foundational phonics skills and how these can be applied meaningfully to support future reading and writing development. We were extremely impressed with the progress the children have made and the confidence they showed throughout the task. Well Done Crew Frost. Keep up the hard work.

Read Write Inc Practice Sheets

29th January 2026Elizabeth Frost

This week, the children have began using Read Write Inc. practice sheets. These help them to develop their letter formation skills and create clear, recognizable letters. This will be an ongoing activity throughout their school year.

The children practice saying the picture of the sound, the letter sound , then they practice using the picture cards. They then say the phrase as they write, and finally say the sound again while forming the letter. This supports their phonics and early writing development.

We look forward to sending these sheets home as part of home learning and seeing the amazing work that Crew Frost continue to produce.

Fine motor building.

15th January 2026Elizabeth Frost

Fine motor skills are very important for your child’s early development. To support the children in this area Crew Frost were offered a wide range of opportunities during their choosing time.

During this session, the children were given the challenge of following pre-made cutting lines. This activity encourages children to think critically and problem-solve as they work their way through the change in directions, how to hold the paper, and cut using one hand while stabilising the other.

This activity also improves hand-eye coordination, introduces new vocabulary, strengthens fine hand muscles, and supports the foundations for early writing by encouraging left-to-right movement. The opportunies are endless with this activity! Super work Crew Frost!