Who is this course for?

Preschool Practitioners

Preschool Teachers, and Teaching Assistants

Reception Teachers, and Teaching Assistants

Two-Year Old Practitioners

Literacy Coordinators

EYFS Leaders

(Some Key Stage 1 Teachers and Teaching Assistants have found this course useful, particularly those working with lower ability children)

What does it cover?

The course is split into two halves, the first covering numerous practical fine motor activities and provocations, and the second half exploring hands-on mark-making ideas, tools and games.  

The mark-making section is targeted at the stage of development from were children begin to make a few simple marks all the way up to the time when they are beginning to write letters. However, many of the exciting strategies can be adapted for use later on, when children are writing captions and sentences. 

The course offers many ways of engaging as many children as possible, even the most reluctant, in fun and child-friendly activities. It offers many ways of providing fine motor and mark-making in unusual areas of the provision.

What is its aim?

Practitioners will leave the course with a toolkit of numerous fine motor and mark-making strategies, games and provocations. Many of these use simple materials and resources, often things that you will already have in the setting or that are easily found. 

Attendees will explore many ways of engaging all children, with an emphasis often on boys. Be prepared to try out games and competitions! Also we will explore really child-friendly camouflage strategies that incorporate fine motor without the children realising. 

We will look at how a few simple resources can be adapted in multiple ways and used both indoors and outside. 

The course will provide the inspiration to have a big impact on progress and motivation in early writing in your setting.

What is its content?

A sneaky peak inside the course:

The course opens with many playdough strategies for engaging children in hands-on fine motor. Their are some really child-friendly provocations to ignite interest, such as unicorns and football.

Engage in a range of fine motor competitions to engage harder to reach learners and children normally more reluctant to engage in fine motor. For example, Pac-Man Monsters game, Fill the Earth, and many more imaginative enhancements to provide excitement in your continuous provision.

Many of the strategies use things like pegs, lolly sticks or matchsticks, but used in simple but imaginative ways.

A big focus of the mark-making half of the course is writing patterns. Explore adult-led methods of inspiring children to begin using such patterns.

Then there is a range of more child-led interactions, such as mark-making dice for a purpose, or theme-based 

There are some real ‘wow’ items like invisible pens, and torch lasers for pattern making.

There are simple mark-making activities involving big vehicles. 

Numerous methods of using paint and different painting tools to inspire fine motor are explored in depth. 

Who Delivers This Course?

This course is led by Early Impact’s founder, Martin Williams. He has also written a best-selling book on fine motor and mark-making called ‘Squiggle, Fiddle, Splat – 101 Genius Fine Motor And Early Writing Activities‘. You can find his full biography here.

What do people say about this course?

“Brilliant resources and lots of ideas for each one. Really engaging and informal. Joining in gives time to reflect and experience the activities. Thoroughly enjoyable! Feeling really positive and trying some of the new activities out.” Kate Lovatt, Nursery Teacher

“All the resources were fantastic. So useful to be able to have a go with all the resources rather than someone just showing them to you. Helps you to remember the activities. All were easily adaptable to our setting and can be set up and used straight away with resources already at school. Very good, brilliant ideas!” Angela Whittle, Class Teacher, Pike Fold Primary

“So many great ideas. Very practical! Easy to complete in the classroom and good for a variety of abilities.” Annabel Hardy, Teacher, Elleray Park School

Prices For Inhouse Courses

All of our courses are available as inhouse training sessions, delivered in an identical way to the open training courses. Sessions normally last 2 hours, although they could be shortened or lengthened depending on your needs. Courses could be delivered to a very small number of staff, or for as many as you like. The courses work really well as twilights because they are fun, practical and hands-on, the perfect formula for practitioners that will have been working all day. We can deliver all courses as INSET days, school staff meetings, or nursery twilights.

Price for a 2 hour training session after school/twilight – £275 (+VAT)

Price for a 2 hour training session in morning or afternoon – £325 (+VAT)

Full day inhouse training session – £550 (+VAT)

This price includes up to 20 staff. After this there is an extra charge of £15 a head. 

There is a £50 charge for training courses that take place more than a 1 hour drive from the trainer’s residence. There is a £125 charge for training taking place more than a 2 hour drive from the trainer’s residence. These charges are just for travel and potential hotel costs.

To enquire about availability and book an inhouse training session, you can contact us in one of two ways:

1. Use the contact form that you can find by clicking the green ‘Book This Course Inhouse’ button above.

2. Alternatively, email hello@earlyimpactlearning.com with details of what you are looking for.