Developing Writing Skills

Your three-year-old scribbles furiously. Is it a snowstorm, or the next great American novel? Kids learn to write in stages, says first-grade teacher Ann Hardcastle of Amherst, NH. Here's an outline of those stages, and ways in which you can encourage your kid's progress. (Please note that these are general steps: each child is different.)

Two- to three-year-olds will mostly draw horizontal and vertical lines, circular shapes, and lots of up-and-down lines. Tips: Tape large sheets of paper to the wall for kids to draw on. Offer them a paint brush and a flat surface, like an easel or the sides of the bathtub.

Three- to four-year-olds will draw pictures that look different from linear, repetitive writing that may appear in the same picture. Kids now notice that adult writing has distinct features, and they'll try to imitate it. Tips: Provide a variety of writing surfaces such as lightweight cardboard (try recycled cereal boxes) and discarded greeting cards. Ask kids to tell you about what they drew (or "wrote") and then write their words underneath. Tell them that you're putting down what they said about their picture. They'll begin to see how spoken words can be written. Three- to five-year-olds will fill a page with squiggles and describe what it says. At this age, their physical ability to write may be immature, but kids can conceptualize the writing process. Tips: Encourage them to write! Prepare blank booklets so that young writers can record their ideas. Ask your kids to read you their stories. Let them write outside on the driveway or sidewalk with colored chalk.

Four- to six-year-olds make marks that will look more like letters. Kids at this stage recognize that letters are made up of lines and circles, but haven't quite mastered the sequence or placement. Tips: Ask your kids to help you write up a grocery list. Pour salt or sand into a tray so that they can "write" in it. Fingerpaint together. Help your kids type up messages on your word processor.

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