--- title: "Nursery/Pre-school-Literacy-Handwriting-Pencil Control" url: "https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-04-21-nursery-pre-school-literacy-handwriting-pencil-control" school: "Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy" --- # Nursery/Pre-school-Literacy-Handwriting-Pencil Control 21 April 2026 We’ve had a busy week focusing on handwriting and pencil control! These skills are vital for our preschoolers as they prepare for the transition to school. It has also been lovely to see our newest, littlest learners begin their journey and practice their pencil grips. Handwriting in the Early Years is about so much more than just marks on a page—it's about building the core physical strength and coordination through fun fine and gross motor activities! ![](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/images/news/689fed71-483b-46cc-b14c-9039797cc3d1.jpg) [Nursery](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/nursery) [Early Years Foundation Stage](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/early-years-foundation-stage) [English](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/english) [Pre School](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/pre-school) [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/100x100c/news/year_1_-_art.jpg)](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-04-17-year-1-art-watercolours) Previous ### [Year 1 - Art - Watercolours](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-04-17-year-1-art-watercolours) [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/100x100c/news/594a37f7-c9b8-48a0-9c6e-43a32e6222fb.jpg)](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-04-22-year-3-maths-finding-unit-fractions-of-amounts) Next ### [Year 3 - Maths - Finding Unit Fractions Of Amounts](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-04-22-year-3-maths-finding-unit-fractions-of-amounts) ### Academy Life - [News](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news) - [Events](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/events) - [Clubs](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/basc) - [School Council](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/school-council) - [Attendance](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/attendance) - [Charities and Fundrasing](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/charities-and-fundraising) - ![School Games Gold](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Gold_Logo_25-26(1).png) - ![Healthy school](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/healthy_school.png) - ![Picture News](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/6_Years_of_Picture_News.png) - ![AP smilestar](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Screenshot_2026-07-27_10.26.27.png) ##### Location St James Crescent Darwen Lancashire BB3 0EY ##### Contact Us 01254 703260 ##### Stay Connected - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Darwenstjames) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/darwenstjames/) © Copyright 2021–2026 Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)