What
Is It? Why Is It Important?
Providing opportunities for children to write and to learn about print is essential to supporting their development as readers and writers. When children experiment with writing they are consciously thinking about what they know about print and how it works. Meaningful and purposeful writing opportunities motivate and encourage children to explore and learn about print.
Daily writing activities in the prekindergarten
classroom should be playful and play-based. A
daily variety of enjoyable and engaging encounters
with writing, such as writing
letters to family and friends, labeling personal
masterpieces, or making a grocery list to shop
in the classroom store, guarantees that
young children experience writing as important,
enjoyable, and useful. How adults react to children’s
early attempts to write can also be highly motivating.
For example, a big smile and an encouraging tone
of voice that communicates “Read it to me!”
lets children know that their writing attempts
are reasons to celebrate.
Writing experiences in preschool prepare children
for the instruction and learning experiences they
will encounter in kindergarten. Showing children
how you write teaches them how print works. Watching
children as they write teaches you what they know
and understand about how print works.
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