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A Scribble or a Masterpiece

In a recent Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) webinar, At-Home Writing Strategies for Early Childhood, Dr. Crystal Loose shared practical ways families can support early writing development from the very start. Drawing on her experience as an educator, researcher, and founder of Plant the Seed of Learning, Dr. Loose focuses on helping families build strong literacy foundations through everyday interactions. In this blog, she explores how writing begins with scribbles, talk, and play—and how these early experiences connect directly to later reading success. Her approach closely aligns with RIF’s mission to empower families with the tools and resources they need to support children’s literacy development at home. 

Why Early Writing Starts at Birth

As a researcher that frequently works with parents, I am always surprised to learn that parents wait to begin reading to their child until they are old enough to help turn the pages of a book. Reading to children should begin at birth, as this builds the foundation for early literacy skills. The same can be said for writing. Early writing begins with marks and scribbles that represent a masterpiece or story and eventually progresses to letters and words that align with what adults consider conventional writing.  

Oral Language: The Foundation of Writing and Reading 

It is essential to consider the building blocks of writing beginning with oral language development. Oral language is the foundation of literacy. It precedes literacy and then parallels it as children acquire richer vocabulary through conversations and listening to read-alouds (Laundry & Smith, 2006). Oral and written language are developmental processes that are mutually supportive of one another. Writing provides a space to practice storytelling, leading to an understanding of the importance of print. Parents’ interactive strategies, the quality of their language, and the frequency of reading aloud are all related to their children’s language development.  

Children’s oral language competence is strongly predictive of their reading and writing abilities. In preschool receptive language generally develops before expressive language. Receptive language is how children understand the language around them. It is needed for learning, play, communication, understanding directions, and participating in everyday activities. Some examples include, following directions (“Get your shoes on.”), understanding questions (“What do you want for lunch?”), or identifying objects (“Find the green button.”). When children understand words and their meaning, they begin to produce them in speech and, eventually, on paper. Expressive language is using language to communicate with others. Language is “expressed” through speech, sign, written words, pictures, and body language. It may appear as words and sentences, or as smiles, babbles, and early phrases.  

How Families Can Support Language Development at Home 

Families can support oral language development by reading books early and often. To build vocabulary it is important to discuss the pictures and their meaning. Asking children to point and locate objects in a book is a great way to enforce vocabulary skills. Reading repetitive books also builds language awareness, as children often memorize patterns and begin to “read” along. Singing songs is another effective strategy; children often add hand motions, which also supports motor development.   

Building Fine Motor Skills for Writing Success 

Early fine motor development is essential, as writing requires strong hands. Toddlers benefit from activities that strengthen small hand and finger muscles, which support later drawing and writing. Examples include playing with playdough, blocks, puzzles, stickers, and crayons. Key milestones between 12 and 36 months include stacking blocks, using utensils, turning pages, scribbling, and developing the pincher grasp. As fine motor control improves, most children can use a tripod grip with a crayon by kindergarten. 

Why Early Handwriting Experiences Matter 

During the preschool years, developing pre-handwriting literacy skills is crucial for overall development, including the progression from scribbling to written words. Handwriting is a strong indicator of a student’s academic success in kindergarten (Boone, 2024). Tactile and fine motor experiences associated with handwriting play an important role in embedding alphabetic knowledge in the brain (Longcamp et al., 2008). Strong fine motor skills in kindergarten are also predictive of later reading achievement (Cameron et al., 2012). A fun way to encourage handwriting practice is through multisensory approaches using shaving cream, pudding, and applesauce as the platform for letter practice.  

Children will not master letters automatically. They need to first build muscle strength and develop an understanding that stories come from print on a page. As young as two, children begin to imitate print by scribbling marks that represent their ideas- this is known as emergent writing.  

The Stages of Early Writing Development 

There are stages in writing development: 

  • Stage 1: Random Scribbling (15 months to 2.5 years) 
    • Children begin to understand that their arm and hand movements create marks upon the page. Writing appears as large, uncontrolled scribbles. At this stage, children enjoy sensory experiences like finger painting or drawing applesauce.  
  • Stage 2: Controlled Scribbling (2 years to 3 years) 
    • As children’s fine motor skills improve, scribbles become more controlled. Children may create repeated marks such as circles, vertical lines, and curves, and begin experimenting with how they hold writing tools.  
  • Stage 3: Lines and Patterns (2.5 years to 3.5 years)
    • Children begin to understand that print consists of lines and shapes. Their marks resemble letters, and they may write from left to right. They may also “read” their writing aloud, showing an understanding that print conveys meaning.  
  • Stage 4: Pictures of Objects and People (3-5 years)
    • Children develop the ability to form mental images and represent them on paper. This reflects symbolic thinking- understanding that drawings represent real objects. They often plan their drawings, add details, and label their work. Early figures (such as “tadpole people”) are common.  
  • Stage 5: Letter and Word Practice (3-5 years)
    • Children begin to distinguish between drawing and writing. They develop cognitive abilities, picturing an image in their mind, holding that image in their mind, and then representing it on the page. They may add “words” to describe their pictures and experiment with letters, especially those in their names. Scribbles evolve into letter-like forms and short grouping that resemble words.  

From Scribbles to Stories: Supporting the Writing Journey 

Writing develops from scribbles to meaningful letter strings with creative images. It often begins as art, as children explore cause and effect through drawing and painting. The development is supported by both cognitive growth and increasing muscle control. Writing is challenging work, but it is a meaningful milestone when a scribble becomes a masterpiece.  

 

Biography:  
Dr. Crystal Loose served in public education for 17 years as a teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach and then in administration. She received her doctorate in education from Penn State. She is currently an Associate Professor at West Chester University and teaches courses in the Early and Middle Grades and Education Leadership Departments. Her research includes early learning environments as well as teacher and principal success and preparedness. The teacher learning process using a variety of professional learning models is emphasized in her research. She founded a nonprofit, Plant the Seed of Learning, where she uses her work in early learning to engage with parents and their children prior to kindergarten entrance in a playgroup setting and now a podcast. Her work with families in Lancaster, PA led to a community building award in 2018-2019. Empowering families and future teachers are her passion; therefore, her grant writing and publications continue to contribute to these areas.   

Bibliography 

Boone, C. (2024). Bridging the gap in fine motor and writing readiness skills in at-risk preschoolers: A professional development program. Medical University of South Carolina- MUSC Division of Occupational Therapy. https://medica-musc.researchcommons.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=muscotd-ppotd 

Cameron, C. E., Brock, L. L., Murrah, W. M., Bell, L. H., Worzalla, S. L., Grissmer, D., & Morrison, F. J. (2012). Fine motor skills and executive function both contribute to kindergarten achievement. Child Development, 83(4), 1229–1244. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01768.x  

Landry, S. H., & Smith, K. E. (2006). The Influence of Parenting on Emerging Literacy Skills. In D. K. Dickinson, & S. B. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Vol. 2, pp. 135-148). New York: Guilford Press. 

Longcamp, M., Boucard, C., Gilhodes, J., Anton, J., Roth, M., Nazarian, B., & Velay, J. (2008). Learning through hand or typewriting influences visual recognition of new graphic shapes: behavioral or functional imaging evidence. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20 (5), 802-815