Why is it important for my child to write?
The ability to write is vital. It paves the way to success in school, which can build self-confidence
and motivate your child to set high expectations for life.
The ability to write is vital. It paves the way to success in school, which can build self-confidence
and motivate your child to set high expectations for life.
Reasons to Write:
How will my child learn to write?
Learning to write does not happen all at once. It involves a series of stages that lead, over time, to independent writing.
The best time for children to start learning to read is when they are very young, usually at the preschool level.
This is when they are best able to start developing basic writing skills.
The stages involved in learning to write are listed below:
1. Role Play Writing:
3. Early Writing:
It takes time to pass through each of these stages, and your child will need plenty of attention and support as he or she moves through them. You can play a leading role in helping your child acquire the writing skills he or she needs to succeed!
How can I help my child?
Help your child think like a writer by noticing details about everyday experiences.
How to make your own Writing Journal
- For communication
- For work
- For pleasure
- To keep a record of important information or events
- To keep in touch with family and friends
How will my child learn to write?
Learning to write does not happen all at once. It involves a series of stages that lead, over time, to independent writing.
The best time for children to start learning to read is when they are very young, usually at the preschool level.
This is when they are best able to start developing basic writing skills.
The stages involved in learning to write are listed below:
1. Role Play Writing:
- Assigns a message to his/her own symbols
- Understands that writing and drawing are different (Ex: He/she points to the
words while reading) - Is aware that print carries a message
- Uses known letters or approximations of letters to represent written language
- Shows beginning awareness of directionality (Ex: points to where print begins)
- Reads back own writing
- Attempts familiar forms of writing (Ex: lists, letters, recounts, stories, messages)
- writes using simplified oral language structures (Ex: I brt pl do)
- Uses writing to convey meaning
- Uses left to right, top to bottom orientation of print
- Demonstrates one-to-one correspondence between written and spoken word
3. Early Writing:
- Uses a small range of familiar text forms
- Chooses topics that are personally significant
- Uses basic sentence structure and varies sentence beginnings
It takes time to pass through each of these stages, and your child will need plenty of attention and support as he or she moves through them. You can play a leading role in helping your child acquire the writing skills he or she needs to succeed!
How can I help my child?
Help your child think like a writer by noticing details about everyday experiences.
- Encourage your child to describe what he or she sees or feels
- Be a good role model by using interesting words as you describe your own feelings and observations
- Celebrate when your child does this on his or her own
- Read and enjoy other people's writing, then talk about what makes them a good writer
- Keep a family journal that everyone writes and draws in
- Invite your child to help you write emails, grocery lists and thank you notes
- Make messages with magnetic letters on the fridge
How to make your own Writing Journal
Click on the picture to see the end Kindergarten Writing Standards.