Fostering a love of writing starts with meaningful, real-life experiences that connect to your child’s everyday world. At First Congregational Preschool, Inc., we follow a play-based curriculum where writing is part of every classroom activity. From paper and pencils in every center to drawing, note-making, and imaginative storytelling, children can explore writing whenever inspiration strikes. This approach makes writing both fun and relevant, helping your child build essential literacy skills naturally.

Fostering a Love of Writing Through Everyday Experiences

Children are more likely to enjoy writing when they see adults modeling it in daily life. Simple activities, like making a grocery list or writing a “note to self,” show children that writing is useful and important. Invite your child to contribute ideas or help create lists. These shared experiences support early literacy and reinforce the value of writing, a key part of our play-based curriculum.

Providing the Right Tools to Foster Writing

Because fine motor skills are still developing, children benefit from a variety of writing materials. Offer large sheets of paper and tools of different sizes and thickness, such as:

• Markers
• Pencils
• Crayons
• Chalk

Providing options encourages creativity and experimentation. When children can choose how they write, it fosters independence and builds confidence. These are key components in fostering a love of writing. Learn more about how our play-based curriculum supports literacy on our curriculum page.

Six Stages of Fostering a Love of Writing

Understanding the stages of early writing helps parents guide their child’s development:

1. Drawing

Drawings are children’s first form of communication. Instead of asking, “What is this?” ask your child to tell you about their drawing. Their explanations may change over time, fostering creativity and storytelling skills. Check out our article on art as an experience for more insights. 

2. Scribbling

At this stage, children believe they are writing. Scribbles often carry meaning in their mind, showing early understanding that symbols represent words.

3. Invented Letters

Children experiment with letter shapes that resemble actual letters. This is a key step in literacy development.

4. Random Letters

Children may write letters they remember from books, signs, or their environment, reflecting growing familiarity with the alphabet.

5. Invented Spelling

Children begin connecting sounds to letters. Spelling may not be conventional yet, but it shows phonetic understanding and emerging writing skills.

6. Common Spelling

Children start writing words that are recognizable to adults. This stage shows significant progress toward confident, independent writing.

Just like learning to speak, writing develops gradually. Each stage is an achievement that moves your child closer to becoming a capable and confident writer.

Supporting Your Child at Home

You can reinforce early writing skills at home by:

• Encouraging daily writing routines 
• Displaying your child’s artwork and writing projects around the home
• Reading together to strengthen literacy connections

Fostering early literacy is most effective when children experience writing as meaningful and playful, just as they do in our play-based curriculum at First Congregational Preschool. Make writing a fun part of your everyday life and watch your child’s confidence grow with every word and doodle. For more ideas on supporting literacy at home, visit Reading Rockets’ parent resources.

Ready to see how your child can thrive with a love of writing? Schedule a visit to First Congregational Preschool and discover how our children learn, through play.