Supporting Emergent Writing at Home

A young child’s early mark-making experiences are important first steps that lead to writing. Their scribbles and silly drawings on paper signify the beginning of emergent writing, which is defined as a child’s earliest attempts at written communication. Offering opportunities for children to engage in and explore mark-making supports the development of literacy (as well as fine motor skills).

Our Education Team wants you to feel comfortable providing a variety of writing experiences at home to encourage your child’s natural curiosity about the process. Here are some suggestions by age to inspire purposeful mark-making in joyful ways:

Older Infants and Young Toddlers

• Offer paper and palm grasp crayons (crayons that look like eggs) for children to experiment with making marks on paper. Explore together and have fun discovering the possibilities.
• Children of this age love to make large movements. Draw together on a box or large piece of cardboard. Perhaps you could decorate a fort or table covered in butcher paper.

Older Toddlers and Twos

• Draw together for a few minutes each day. This can become a nice part of an evening routine. It doesn’t matter what kind of marks you make, just enjoy the open-ended activity.
• Create marks with paintbrushes and water on a fence, sidewalk, or side of the house.
• Incorporate drawing with pretend play. “Write” a menu to play kitchen. Draw a map for a pretend trip or treasure hunt.

Three to Five

• Offer a variety of drawing and writing tools (thick and thin) including crayons, pencils, colored pencils, and/or markers.
• Create a journal for your child and encourage them to write and draw about something they love. Examples include bugs, animals, cars, or your family. Daily journaling builds a child’s ability to communicate ideas with marks.
• Model writing for your child. Make lists, write the letters of your child’s name, or write out steps to a process.
• Encourage your child to label their work by writing their name. Even if children are not yet writing letters, a child can choose how to represent their name on paper. The first letter a child writes is usually the first letter of their name.

The most important part of encouraging children’s emergent writing is to have fun.

Drawing and writing should be enjoyable and linked to activities that children love and find meaningful. Instead of requiring your child to write, look for ways to incorporate drawing and writing into things you already do together.