Celebrate the scribble!
It may look like scribble to us, but early scribbling and ‘playing at writing’ is an important step on your child’s journey to becoming a writer.
Your child will know what these marks mean and will love to tell you about them!
Before being able to hold a small pencil, your child needs to develop strong gross motor skills such as muscles in their legs and upper arms.
Top tips:
- ‘Celebrate the Scribble’ by having a special place to collect and display your child’s marks and drawings
- Listen to your child and talk to them about their marks and what they mean
- Let your child see you writing – use everyday opportunities like writing a ‘to do’ list to show your child writing in action, and explain to them why we write
- Involve your child – encourage them to join in with everyday writing activities such as ‘signing’ their name on a birthday card or adding items to your shopping list
- Introduce writing into everyday play – you could make a map with your child to go with their train set, or create prices labels for food when you are playing ‘shops’ together
- Make it big – use big paintbrushes with a bucket of water to make marks on the ground and fences for a fun outdoor activity
- Make the most of every opportunity – encourage your child to use sticks to make marks in the mud when out on a walk, or in the sand when playing on the beach
