Without realizing it, you will realize how your young children who barely knew how to speak, have already learned the language, they talk and begin to want to master the art of writing. As a parent, teacher or caregiver of your children, it is necessary to encourage children to learn these important skills in their life. Decades ago, our grandparents sometimes did not learn to write because they did not have the opportunity, but today education is a right and everyone has the opportunity to learn to read and write.
In fact, today many parents do not think about how their children learn to write or what they can do to teach them to do it, because it seems that it is an automatic or natural process of childhood. But in reality, it is a process that must be learned, and for that it must be taught!
Learning children's writing
Children begin to have certain writing skills from the age of 3, although the skill consolidates a few years later. Until recently, child development experts had assumed that children learned to write only once they learned what sounds each letter represented. So, for example, once a child learns what "A" sounds like, he / she can connect that sound to a letter and, from this point, begin to write the letters that represent the sounds they hear.
Instead, it is now believed that children learn the basics of writing before learning which letters represent specific sounds. Children show knowledge of written language formulas, such as which letters are often grouped together, before they learn what those letters actually represent. Their young brains are recognizing patterns in words that they can see in a book, even before you know what those patterns mean or what the words mean.
Developing writing skills
Children begin to write "words" that follow the rules of written language, starting at the age of 3. For example, they can write a word that doesn't make sense, but could actually follow a basic rule of appearance: a word with repeated letters representing vowels or types of words.
Children are able to write letter words that had no connection to the letter sounds in real words. When a young child is asked to spell a word like "cat," for example, an older child may not be able to write letters that actually sound like the letters in the word, but recognizes that "cat" is just another word. He cuts off saying "elephant" and writes "his" word accordingly. This ability improves as the child grows, so 5-year-olds have much better ability to write words than preschoolers.
A “word” for a three-year-old includes a few standards: the length of a word, the use of different letters within the words, and the way the letters were combined within the words.
Teach children to write
The first thing to keep in mind is that no child should be forced to write if they are not ready for it. Each child has their own rate of learning and it must be respected. But, as a game, you can start teaching your little one some of these skills to introduce him to the wonderful world of writing. Follow these tips:
- Take into account your child's motor development. If you find that your child is too small to hold a colored wax or does not have enough force to squeeze onto the paper, then it is best to wait.
- Provide colored crayons or large markers so that he will be able to grasp them well. A typically developing three-year-old should be able to hold and paint with colored crayons or markers, even with a pencil! But a younger child will need larger colored fences to be able to handle it better.
- Word games. There are many ways that you can teach the concept of words to your young children. You can draw a word and put the corresponding image next to it this way your little one will begin to become familiar with the words that correspond to certain things. Then try to make your child guess the letters of the words or the missing letters when you rewrite the word and it is missing a letter.
- Always with freedom. Although it may seem too tempting to try to make a young child become a great writer… the best thing you can do for your child is to back off when they are not ready and allow them freedom to explore writing on their own. Don't be in a hurry or want to teach him everything at the same time. He needs to learn little by little and always, respecting his rhythms and his natural curiosity.
Teaching a child to write begins when they are little. Help them improve hand-eye coordination by introducing colored crayons or other writing tools at an early age, sitting with your child to spell and talk about words, and giving him space to explore writing. Even if the "words" your children write are a bit like bad words to you, they are important first steps in learning to communicate through written language, so encourage them to write frequently.
And of course, To teach your child to write, the best thing you can do first is read together. You can read together, you can read to him… but what matters is that you enhance the development of language and communication through reading. Reading is a wonderful resource that becomes a real treasure for child development, in all its areas! Plus, it can be a lot of fun doing it together. Introducing language skills, in the form of reading or writing, can also help identify any potential learning problems early on.