Children’s introduction to Written Language
If you’re a parent who worries when and how to introduce your child to writing, this is an article you need to read. The ability to write is an important milestone in a child’s literacy development. Without being taught on the importance of writing, children are naturally led to express themselves. Just like walking, language is a biological hallmark that is innate in a neurotypical child.
However, this does not mean that children will naturally know how to write when left alone. They have to be externally supported in order for them to learn standard writing. It is a learnt activity that is dependent on the surroundings. As parents, one must keep in mind that the ability to read and write cannot just be seen as a set of skills. Early writing experiences allow children to learn social interaction skills as well. This is why easing your child into writing early is beneficial for them.
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Progression from speaking to writing
We now know that children learn to socialise through writing. However, it is also vital to know their stages of development in order to equip ourselves with the necessary resources. The process where children learn to read and write is known as emergent literacy. Most children typically begin to speak from their 12th month onwards. The specific timeline can vary with each child but after they start to speak, they try to express themselves through writing from 2 years old onwards.
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Barry Kroll, a linguist specialises in speaking-writing relationships, suggests that there are four broad phases in learning to write (1981):
Preparation phase – In this phase, children learn to handle a pencil, form letters and copy words for themselves.
Consolidation phase – Children can write independently without copying but they can produce only what they know in speech. They are generally about 7 years old when they reach this stage.
Differentiation phase – Writing and speech become palpably different for children and they have drawn clear distinction on what is to be spoken and written. Children are around 9 to 10 years old when they move into this phase.
Integration phase – The writer can deliberately manipulate the differences and even deliberately and mix them to achieve effects. This is not something everyone will be able to reach and is usually achieved through specialisation.
Regardless if we are parents or not, as adults we can recognise some of these stages we experienced as a child. A parent teaching us how to hold a pencil, for example, is a memory we may still carry. These phases prepare children to deal with the highly digitalised world which is steeped in writing. Frequently used communication platforms like Whatsapp and Telegram use typing which is essentially a digital form of writing. The median age of a technology user keeps decreasing as proved by the term ‘i-pad kid’.
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Children are likely to receive mobile devices earlier than before. As such, a hindrance in the developmental stages of writing can impact their digital socialisation. Let us take a look at how a child coming out of toddlerhood learns to write.
Developmental Stages in Writing
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- Scribbling – In the early stages, a young child will often engage in random scribbling. As mentioned in the preparation phase, this allows them to practise holding a writing tool and making marks on paper. This helps them develop fine motor skills, hand-eye co-ordination and understand that their actions have an impact on the paper.
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- Symbolic representation – As children progress, they start to assign meaning to their scribbles and may begin to use them to represent objects or ideas. They may create drawings and associate them with specific words or concepts, even if they don’t resemble the actual object or word.
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- Letter-like forms – Children gradually start to produce letter-like shapes. They may imitate the appearance of letters they see around them. These are letters they are familiar with such as the letters in their names. These early attempts at forming letters show an understanding of the relationship between written and spoken language.
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- Invented spelling – As children become more aware of the sounds in spoken language, they may attempt to represent these sounds in their writing. Invented spelling involves using the letters and sounds they know to represent words, even if the spelling is not correct. It demonstrates their developing phonemic awareness.
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- Writing for a purpose – They gain a better understanding of the phonemics and how to spell correctly. Children engage in various writing activities for different purposes, such as making lists, writing letters or notes and creating stories. These activities help them understand that writing serves specific functions and can be used to communicate with others.
For children to write with purpose, however, it is important that parents scaffold writing behaviours. Just like any building needs scaffolding to support its structure, a child, too, needs such support from their parents. The scaffolding you provide as a parent prepares your child for learning in school.
How parents can scaffold children in the writing process
So, as a parent, how should you start training your child to write?
Pencil awareness
In supporting emergent writing, you can provide materials such as crayons and pencils. It could even be a stick the size of a pencil. Encourage them to hold it and get a feel of holding a writing tool. Different children have varying preferences in holding tools. This can only be discovered when they are exposed to writing behaviours. A good and comfortable penmanship style gives your child the confidence to start writing.
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Print awareness
One way to introduce your child to writing is by exposing them to all types of reading materials around them. Many things around us contain text. Logos, signs and labels carry meaning. Let us compare the nutritional label content on food packaging and a mail we might receive.
Each of these texts carry a different genre that is specific to its purpose. The nutritional label, for example, informs the consumer of the health benefits that the product contains. On the other hand, a mail may inform the resident of bills to be paid. Exposing children to environmental print gives them the opportunity to recognise and understand the significance of each print. They may start identifying familiar words and associating them with their meanings, laying the groundwork for reading and writing.
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Storytelling
Another way to exacerbate the learning curve in children is through books. Though exposure to books is also a type of print awareness, storytelling is an activity that carry its own weight. Less than half of Singaporeans read literary books as adults. This may be because as a child, the love for reading and writing was not inculcated in them. Consequently, lesser exposure to creative reading translates to lesser opportunities to write. Reading storybooks to your child increases the connection between you. It becomes a private activity just between you and your child. This can then progress to re-reading and asking your child questions while doing so. Re-telling stories builds cognitive, social and emotional development in children. Communication skills becomes second nature to them and as such, children are able to translate their thoughts on paper easier.
Phonological Awareness
Teaching phonological awareness to children further develops their literacy skills and aids them in their writing abilities. By guiding your child on letter-sound associations, they become more phonologically aware of how a word should sound like. This will equip them with the confidence to write more. Here are some ways to engage children in activities to develop phonological awareness.
A) Rhyme Game: You can read rhyming books, sing nursery rhymes or play games where children have to identify words that rhyme.
B) Syllable segmentation: Help children recognise and count syllables in words. You can start with simple words and gradually move to more complex ones. Clapping the syllables in a word can make it a fun and interactive activity.
C) Sound isolation: Isolating individual sounds within words familiarises children to the phonetic spelling. For example, you can ask them to identify the initial sound in basic words like ‘bat’, ‘dog’ or ‘run’. This helps with their sound discrimination abilities.
Significant Findings in Emergent Literacy Development
Research on community practices
In a 1982 research, the literacy habits of children from 3 different towns, Maintown, Roadville and Trackton were researched. Children whose literacy practices were highly interactive had been encouraged to make up their own narratives and were being read stories from adults. On the other hand, some others were discouraged from telling stories and had lesser exposure to storytelling. The latter faced difficulties in school whereas children from the former group tended to excel in creativity.
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Neural Connection from 0-3 years old
Furthermore, from the time of birth till the age of 3, the learning curve is higher than ever. The infant brain begins to make neural connections through sensory experiences. Visual, auditory, tactile and other sensory stimuli help stimulate neural pathways and promote the development of various brain regions. The synaptic connections grow up to 1000 trillion and 90% of brain development is completed by the age of 5. This is suggested as the optimal time for children to learn new skills. Hence this is the best time to model your children for writing.
Conclusion
Overall, you can scaffold your preschool child by setting up a supportive environment. Also, increase the exposure to reading and writing materials. This accessibility will help in refining their social, cognitive and emotional skills. The Superskills ‘First Preschool Activities’ series is a great practice book to help with this purpose. It is pedagogically structured to develop hand-eye co-ordination and pencil control.
You can also explore Superskills First English Alphabet that encourages story-telling in a fun way. As the current education system adopts a STREAM learning approach, a head start will be helpful for your child. In establishing a solid foundation early on, you can ignite their curiosity, foster a love for reading and writing and set them on a path to becoming skilled communicators.
In conclusion, introducing your preschool child to written language opens the door to a world of possibilities. By engaging them in age-appropriate and enjoyable activities, you can help them develop essential pre-literacy skills, such as letter recognition, phonological awareness and vocabulary building. Keep in mind the importance of reading together which provides exposure to various forms of written text and encourages their own attempts at writing.
Remember to make the learning experience fun and interactive, tailoring activities to your child’s interests and abilities. From the time they start scribbling, celebrate their progress no matter how small it is. Above all, create an environment that promotes a love for language and communication!
