help kindergartener write

• Book Lists by Age
• Book Lists by Category
• Reading Resources
• Language & Speech
• Raise a Reader Blog
• Back to School
• Success Guides by Grade
• Homework Help
• Social & Emotional Learning
• Activities for Kids

The Ultimate Guide to Kindergarten: Reading and Writing

Review reading and writing curricula for kindergarten, learn what to expect, and discover the books and activities you can use to support learning..

On the first day of kindergarten, your child officially becomes a student! It’s an exciting transition as young learners blend the playing and craft-making from preschool with more writing, reading, and math lessons. Kindergarteners get used to routines and learn how to be successful students for years to come.

The expectations for what students should achieve, and specifically whether they should know how to read and write by the end of kindergarten, vary across schools, so talk to your child’s teacher for details regarding the specific curriculum.

By laying the right foundation for your child’s success in kindergarten, you can prime them for accomplishing great academic strides for years to come. Make sure they are prepared for kindergarten and excels throughout the year with this comprehensive guide to success.

Shop  kindergarten workbooks , the  best series for kindergarten readers , and  kindergarten school stories  at  The Scholastic Store !

Want even more book and reading ideas?  Sign up  for our Scholastic Parents newsletter.

Kindergarten Reading Skills

In kindergarten, children begin to grow as independent readers and become more comfortable with reading, which is now part of their daily life. Students read books, the day’s schedule, class letters, songs, and poems throughout the day.

To build reading skills, your kindergartener :

• Learns all of the letters of the alphabet (upper case and lower case) and their sounds.
• Begins to “read” books themselves, mainly by memorization 
• Reads and listens to stories and then talks about the stories, including their plots, characters, and events.
• Follows words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
• Recognizes and can produce rhyming words.
• Recognizes several basic sight words such as I, my, you, is, and are. 
• Adds or substitutes individual sounds in simple, one-syllable words to make new words, such as replacing the “C” in “Cat” with an “R” to create the word “Rat.”

Kindergarten Reading Activities

Read and Repeat : Ask your child to “read” their favorite book to you, using their memory, associations, and clues from the pictures.

Alphabet Books : Use drawings or pictures from magazines to create an alphabet book with a letter and an object that begins with that letter on each page.

Fill in the Blank : When you read a favorite picture book to your child and come across a short word that rhymes or is familiar to your child because they know the story, stop and let them say the word. Point to the word as they say it and spell it out.

Kindergarten Writing Skills

In kindergarten, your child begins to truly grow as a writer. Kindergartners start to write words (often using their own creative or invented spellings), and may even write their own mini books and stories about their lives or what they’ve learned.

Don’t worry if they're spelling most words incorrectly: Creative or invented spelling is a crucial part of developing writing skills at this age. Spelling words based on sounds helps your child consider our language’s building blocks and gain a deeper understanding of them. Most of the words your kindergartner  will  learn to spell correctly are one-syllable words which often follow the pattern of CVC, or CONSONANT, VOWEL, CONSONANT — think “cat,” “big,” or “rug.”

To build writing skills, your kindergartener :

• Writes uppercase and lowercase letters 
• Writes their name.
• Writes some letters and words when they are dictated.
• Uses invented or creative spelling to write a variety of words.
• Uses conventional spelling to write some words (CVC and basic sight words).
• Writes, draws, and dictates about a variety of topics, including their opinion and descriptions of objects or moments and events in their life.

Kindergarten Writing Activities

Label Everything : Create labels with your child for different objects in your house, like books, toy bins, foods, kitchen objects, and clothes. You or your child can write the names of the objects, and your child can draw a picture to go along with it. 

Play Guessing Games : Draw a picture and have your child guess the spelling of that word, giving them a few letters in the word as a hint. Alternatively, show your child two letters (like this: “_at”) and ask them to make as many words as they can with it.

Create a Photo Album : When you take pictures of events or people, ask your child to label the picture. Glue it to a piece of a paper so they can write a description of the event, what happened, who was there, etc.

Find more expert-approved kindergarten books, tips, and resources at our guide to  getting ready for kindergarten , including a list of books to read before kindergarten . 

Shop the best resources for kindergarten below! You can find all books and activities at  The Scholastic Store . 

Explore other grade guides: 

• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade
• Fourth Grade  
• Fifth Grade
• Sixth Grade
• Seventh Grade
• Eighth Grade

Your Kindergarten Book Checklist

Sign up and get 10% off books.

Kindergarten Creativity: 50 Writing Prompts and Handy Tips for Young Minds

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on August 18, 2023

Categories Writing

You’re about to step into the wonderful world of kindergarten writing prompts! They’re an essential tool for developing young minds, and thanks to pdf format, they’re easier than ever to share and use.

Let’s discover how you can effectively engage your little learners with these creative prompts and track their progress in a fun, interactive way.

Key Takeaways

• Writing in kindergarten is essential for early literacy development.
• Kindergarten writing prompts offer a variety of exercises to stimulate creativity.
• Distributing prompts in PDF format allows for easy access and sharing.
• Understanding the purpose of each prompt improves writing skills.

50 Kindergarten Writing Prompts

Embarking on the incredible journey of writing begins with the first scribble, the first word, and the first story. These 50 prompts, tailored for kindergarten minds, is designed to spark creativity, imagination, and a love for storytelling.

All About Me

• Describe what you look like.
• Write about your favorite toy.
• What is your favorite food?
• Tell about what you like to do for fun.
• Write about what you want to be when you grow up.
• Describe your family members.
• Write about a fun family memory.
• What is your favorite thing to do with your family?
• How does your family celebrate birthdays?
• If you could give your mom or dad a gift, what would you give them?
• What is your favorite thing about school?
• Tell about your teacher.
• Describe your favorite school subject.
• What is your favorite playground game?
• What do you want to learn this year?
• What is your favorite season and why?
• How do you like to play outside in the spring?
• What summer activities do you enjoy?
• What clothes do you wear in the fall?
• What do you like about winter?
• What is your favorite animal? Describe it.
• If you could be an animal, what would you be?
• Have you ever visited a zoo? Describe the animals you saw.
• Do you have any pets? Write about them.
• Imagine you find a magic egg. What hatches from it?

Make Believe

• Write about your favorite superhero.
• Describe a magical power you wish you could have.
• Imagine you can breathe underwater – what would you do?
• If you could fly, where would you go?
• Write about your favorite fairy tale or nursery rhyme.

The World Around You

• What is the weather like today?
• Describe something you saw on a walk today.
• What is your favorite place to go in your town?
• Write about a special day you celebrated with your family.
• If you could have any job, what would it be?

Feelings and Goals

• Write about something that makes you happy.
• What is your favorite book? Describe it.
• What do you want to learn to do this year?
• How do you help your family at home?
• What is your favorite gift you have received?
• Describe your best friend.
• Write about how you like to play with your friends.
• What is your favorite thing to do at recess?
• How can you be a good friend?
• What was a nice thing a friend did for you?

Your Community

• Tell about where you live.
• Describe your favorite place in your neighborhood.
• What job do you want to have when you grow up?
• Have you ever gotten lost? What happened?
• Write about your library or a store you like to visit.

Understanding the Importance of Writing in Kindergarten

Kindergarten marks a critical transition phase in a child’s academic journey. Amidst the playful environment, colorful crayons, and imaginative story sessions, lies the cornerstone of foundational literacy: writing. Writing, at this stage, is more than just a skill; it’s an exploration of thoughts, ideas, and a child’s unique perspective on their expansive world.

But why is writing so crucial during these early years? Firstly, it fosters cognitive development. When children scribble or form letters, they’re actively processing information, understanding relationships between shapes, and honing their fine motor skills. This not only prepares them for more complex tasks as they grow but instills confidence in their abilities.

Secondly, writing is a tool for communication. As kindergarteners experiment with letters and words, they begin to understand the power of language. This realization—that they can convey their thoughts, feelings, and stories through writing—serves as a pivotal step in building effective communication skills.

Lastly, writing in kindergarten plants the seeds for future academic success. Mastery of early writing skills can directly influence a child’s proficiency in reading, comprehension, and other core subjects.

In essence, by emphasizing writing in kindergarten, we’re paving the path for robust cognitive growth, effective communication, and long-term academic achievement.

Key Elements of Kindergarten Writing Prompts

It’s crucial to understand the main components of these early learning tools.

Imagine your kindergarten writing prompts as a box of crayons. The more colors, or ‘Prompt Variety’, you have, the more creative and exciting the pictures your kids can create.

Now, think about this variety as being flexible – ‘Prompt Flexibility’. This means that each prompt isn’t just one color but can be mixed and matched to make new shades. You’re not locked into one specific exercise; you’ve got plenty of options!

The Role of Pdf Format in Distributing Kindergarten Prompts

Distributing prompts in a digital format plays a vital role as it allows for easy access and sharing among teachers and students. Think about it, you’re a kindergarten teacher with an overflowing plate of responsibilities, wouldn’t you prefer a hassle-free way to share writing prompts? That’s where PDF accessibility and digital distribution come into play.

Imagine having an efficient system that lets you send out your fun ABCs or ‘my favourite animal’ prompts to all your tiny tots at once! A click here, a touch there, and voila — every kiddo has their prompt on their screen. And the best part? They can’t misplace or ruin them like paper copies!

How to Use Kindergarten Writing Prompts Effectively

You’re about to dive into the world of effectively using kindergarten writing prompts!

Let’s start by understanding the purpose of each prompt.

Then, we’ll explore how you can implement creative techniques to make learning a fun experience.

Don’t forget, it’s important to monitor your progress regularly, so you can see how much you’ve grown!

Understanding Prompt Purpose

Understanding the purpose of a writing prompt can significantly improve your child’s writing skills. Each prompt has a specific aim, and that’s where Prompt Clarity comes in. It’s about making sure the task is clear, so your kiddo knows exactly what they should write about.

But it’s not just about clarity; consider Prompt Variation too. Different prompts stimulate different thoughts and ideas. One day, they might write a story about their favorite animal; another day, they could describe their dream trip to space! These variations help to broaden their creativity and vocabulary.

Implementing Creativity Techniques

Let’s now focus on implementing creativity techniques to further enhance your child’s ability to express their thoughts and ideas. Overcoming creativity barriers and employing brainstorming techniques can play a crucial role in this process.

Here are some simple steps:

• Encourage Open-Mindedness: Teach them there’s no wrong answer in the realm of imagination.
• Introduce Brainstorming Techniques: Show them how to jot down every idea that comes into their mind, regardless of how silly it may seem.
• Promote Playful Learning: Let their learning be fun-filled, not stressful or boring.
• Destigmatize Mistakes: Assure them that making mistakes is part of the learning process.

Monitoring Progress Regularly

Now, after implementing creativity techniques in your kindergarten’s writing activities, it’s time to monitor progress regularly. You might be asking: ‘how?’

Well, a handy tool called ‘Progress charting’ can help you out! It’s like a map that shows how far your little ones have come in their writing journey.

Let’s make it fun and interactive! Why not involve the kids? This is what we call ‘Collaborative evaluation’. Let them colour or put stickers on their progress charts. They’ll love seeing their improvement in a fun, visual way!

Remember, the goal isn’t just about reaching the end of the chart. It’s about making learning enjoyable and rewarding.

Tips for Engaging Students With Writing Prompts

You’re about to dive into a fun way of engaging students with writing prompts!

The secret lies in selecting creative prompts that pique their curiosity and encourage them to express their thoughts freely.

We’ll also explore how you can promote active participation among your students and provide constructive feedback for continuous improvement – making the whole learning process more dynamic and enjoyable.

Creative Prompt Selection

Choosing the right creative prompt can really spark a kindergartner’s imagination and improve their writing skills. Prompt diversity is key here. It’s like giving them a box of crayons with lots of different colors to choose from! They’ll be more excited and inspired to create something beautiful.

But remember, not every kid is the same. That’s where prompt adaptation comes in. You’ve got to tweak and twist prompts sometimes to make sure they’re just right for each little writer in your class.

Here are four quick tips for you:

• Keep prompts simple and fun
• Mix up the types: story starters, picture prompts, question-based prompts…
• Adapt according to each kid’s interest
• Always encourage, never criticize

Promoting Student Participation

Encouraging active participation from all students in your class can significantly enhance their learning experience. Use interactive learning techniques to get them excited about participating. How? Begin by choosing a writing prompt that sparks their curiosity. It could be an adventure story or a fun poem, anything captivating for little minds.

Next, implement peer evaluation. Remember, it’s not about criticism but appreciation and constructive feedback! Let the kids exchange their work and discuss what they liked about each other’s stories. This builds confidence and fosters teamwork!

Lastly, keep the environment relaxed. Kids should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts without fear of making mistakes.

Feedback and Improvement

It’s crucial to provide constructive feedback to students, helping them understand where they’re excelling and what areas require improvement. This helps boost their confidence while also guiding them towards better performance.

Here are four ways you can ensure effective feedback:

• Parental involvement : Keep parents in the loop about their child’s progress. They can reinforce learning at home.
• Clear Communication : Make sure your comments are easy to understand, specific, and actionable.
• Positive Reinforcement : Highlight students’ strengths before discussing areas for improvement.
• Technology Integration : Use digital tools that offer timely and consistent feedback.

Examples of Successful Kindergarten Writing Prompts

Let’s explore some successful kindergarten writing prompts that can stimulate young minds. Remember, prompt flexibility is key. You’ve got to adjust according to their individual creativity and learning pace.

Consider a simple prompt like ‘Draw your favorite animal and write about it.’ This gives them freedom while still focusing on writing.

Cultural sensitivity is also vital in designing prompts. Try ‘Describe a special tradition in your family’. It encourages kids to share their unique cultural experiences, promoting understanding and respect among classmates.

Lastly, make it fun! ‘If you could be any toy, what would you be?’ allows them to use imagination while practicing writing skills.

These examples are just starting points – feel free to adapt for your little learners!

Assessing Progress Through Kindergarten Writing Prompts

After exploring various successful kindergarten writing prompts, let’s shift gears and focus on how these prompts can be used to assess your child’s progress. With prompt flexibility, you aren’t limited to just one method of evaluation. Here are four steps to help you gauge their development effectively:

• Observe Their Interest : Pay attention to the topics that spark their curiosity.
• Track Improvement : Document changes in their spelling, vocabulary, and sentence construction over time.
• Encourage Creativity : Note how they use imagination in their responses.
• Parental Involvement : Actively participate in this learning process.

Kindergarten is a pivotal stage, where young minds blossom and curiosity runs deep. These writing prompts are more than just exercises; they’re the initial steps into a world of creativity, expression, and self-discovery.

As we nurture their enthusiasm for writing, we pave the way for a lifelong love of learning and storytelling. Let’s continue to encourage these budding writers, for today’s simple sentences may become tomorrow’s masterpieces.

7 great ways to encourage kids’ writing

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team | Updated: December 7, 2023

Print article

It’s natural for young children to bubble over with ideas, schemes, and jokes. Unfortunately, capturing those ideas on paper does not always come as easily. Here’s how you can help your child get in the flow and learn to enjoy writing.

Help your reluctant writer at home

If your child struggles with writing, practicing at home will help, but you don’t want to make it seem like another school chore. The answer is to sneak writing into play — and vice versa.

As Joseph Pearce says in The Magical Child , “The child can never learn to play without the parent playing with the child. Play … is a huge creative potential built within the child, which never develops unless it is stimulated by the adult model, the parent.”

Remember that your role as a home writing coach is to have fun and to honor your child’s imagination. You don’t have to be the drill sergeant in charge of spelling. In fact, research shows us that in the long run, it’s far more important to encourage the communication of ideas than to hamper a child’s style for the sake of correct spelling.

Here are three key lessons from research that help back up the ideas shared here. “ Three lessons from the science on how to teach writing ,” a 2014 meta-analysis in The Hechinger Report , provides suggestions based on hundreds of studies. First, they advise trying to encourage all kids to write for 15 minutes a day, with extra time beyond that being even more helpful for maximizing writing skills. Poland raised their PISA scores after they implemented a rule requiring kids to spend four hours reading and writing each week.

“Write on a computer” is the second lesson. Why? Using software with spelling and grammar correction relieves kids from these distracting and demoralizing burdens, allowing them to focus on the substance of what they are trying to communicate. The third and final tip, “Grammar instruction doesn’t work” backs up the second lesson. According to the report, six different studies showed that writing quality deteriorates when kids are taught traditional grammar rules. Their essay grades drop below those of students spared the tedium of memorizing the functions of irregular verbs, conjugations, indirect objects, future perfect tense, and the like.

The root of the word “communication” is “to commune” — in other words, to coax the ideas in your child’s brain down through the paper and up into your brain. You can help by:

• Saying, “Let’s play a game.” There’s no need to mention “writing game” if your child is a reluctant writer
• Choosing subjects your child loves, like brontosauruses or monster movies or soccer or TV shows.
• Talking through ideas, asking questions, and listening carefully to answers.
• Making drawings, notes, and story maps together, if your child can’t remember ideas.
• Taking dictation or having your child use a computer.
• Praising honestly and liberally.
• Keeping games short.
• Sharing the work! Post written work on the wall or refrigerator, or sending it to family members and friends. Writing is meant to be shared.
• Quitting if it isn’t fun for your child or for you.

Try these writing games for grades K-2

Eat your words.

The reluctant writer of any age often needs to return to the word level. Make it fun by baking dinner rolls or cookies in the shape of words that mean something to your child. For example, if your child loves comic books, bend purchased dough into “Pow!” or “Shazam!” If it’s their birthday, bake their wish, like “Gameboy II.” (And if all this is too messy, use PlayDough or craft clay for words — but don’t eat it.)

Pretend you are stranded on an island somewhere in your apartment, house, garage, or local park. You need to write “Help!” so you will be rescued by planes that are searching for you. You don’t have a pencil or paper (and if you did, the writing would be too tiny to be read from the air). Tie towels around your head and take water (it’s hot on the island). You and your child must survey your surroundings and invent non-pencil ways to write HELP! If you’re in the bathroom, you might make giant letters out of toilet paper (and hope there’s no wind). If you’re in the garage, you might find paint and brushes. If you’re in the park, you can always write with your toe in the sand box. Suggest as little as possible, unless your child needs prompting. This game allows the child who balks at writing to experience the power of a single word when it is used for a reason. And if your child’s imagination is fertile, don’t stop at the first idea. Find as many ways as possible in each room or location.

Flying messages

You’ll need a ball or Frisbee, some tape, and paper cut into six 1-1/2 – 2″- wide strips the long way. Both you and your child should write three commands, one on each strip of paper, that tell the other person to do something physical. For example, you might write, “Hop on your left foot six times” or “Squeak like a mouse.” Try not to see each other’s commands. Go outside and stand as far apart as your child can toss the ball or Frisbee. You start the game by taping your first strip to the ball or Frisbee. Toss it to your child. They read the message and follow the instructions. Then they tape their first strip to the ball or Frisbee and return a flying message. If you don’t have a place to play outside or the weather won’t cooperate, you can stuff the message in a sock, ball it up, and toss it inside. (Hint: Don’t play this game on a day when you’re pooped.) In school, a child with learning problems may not connect why ideas in their head need to land on paper and be read. But when messages fly through the air, affect the other person’s behavior (and especially make them look silly), writing makes sense to the child.

Try these writing games for grades 3-5

Fortunately/unfortunately.

The writer Remy Charlip wrote a classic children’s book called Fortunately , in which one good event happens, followed by its unfortunate opposite. The book opens with, “Fortunately one day, Ned got a letter that said, ‘Please Come to a Surprise Party.’ But unfortunately the party was in Florida and he was in New York.” You do not need the book to play this game, but it’s more fun if you first read it together. (If your local public library doesn’t have the book, they can find it for you through interlibrary loan.) Each person playing the game receives one sheet of paper. Write in large letters at the top of a sheet of paper “Fortunately.” On the reverse side, write “Unfortunately.” Talk with your child about a trip they have always wanted to take. To Disney World? Across the United States by bicycle? To the moon? Help your child think of a first sentence about the trip, starting with something like “Fortunately, we won the lottery. Our whole family decided to buy bicycles and ride across the United States. Mother quit her job.” Write the “Fortunately” sentences. Then pass each paper to the other player. Turn it over and write the “Unfortunately” part. For example, “Unfortunately, it rained every day, and our bicycles rusted.” If your child wants to play more, you can either make new Fortunately/Unfortunately sheets or you can draw a line under the first part and continue the story. Number each part on the front and back, so you can read the finished stories out loud more easily. Remember, this is not the time to fuss about spelling. If it’s easier for your child with LD, let them dictate to you. Your role is to help your reluctant writer communicate their ideas to the world.

A day in the life

Photographer Rick Smolan has published a series of books called A Day in the Life… showing 24 hours in the life of an astronaut, a country, a state. Now it’s your child’s turn to create a similar book. Buy your child a disposable camera or let your child use your phone. Page through one of the Smolan books and explain the concept. Then talk about documenting one day in your child’s life (or the pet’s or sister’s or friend’s or whomever your child wants). Start the day by photographing your child asleep just before you wake them. Then let your child take a photo every hour of the entire day. (A timer set to an hour will help you remember.) Finish by taking a last shot of your child, asleep. Print the photos and paste each one on a piece of construction paper. Help your child write the details that explain each picture — why your child picked the subject, why it is important to their day, and who was nearby but not shown. Make a title page by writing “A Day in the Life of [your child],” with the date of the photographs. Punch three holes in the left margin and tie the pages together with yarn or dental floss. Keep the book forever, and show it to everyone. Talking about your child’s ideas is a crucial part of writing. It helps your reluctant writer capture those elusive details that sometimes scramble in their brain.

Family time capsule

Start by gathering a shoebox, paper and writing tools, and an envelope for each person in the family. Tell the family that you will be making a Family Time Capsule, to be opened in one or five or 10 years (or for whatever length of time you and the family vote for). It is to be a record of who you were, who you are today, and who you want to be. Have each member of the family write a private letter, telling the world about their life. Where were you born? How old are you today? What do you look like? What are your favorite activities? Foods? Books? Movies? Colors? Vacations? What’s going on in the world today? Where do you want to be in one or five or 10 years? If you have pets in the family, have the children write letters for the pets and take pawprints. When each person is finished, seal the letter in the envelope and write the person’s name and date on it. Then add more items to the Family Time Capsule, like baby and current photos, tapes of children singing and talking, postcards from vacations, and drawings. Also include the front page of today’s newspaper. Have everyone help seal the box with tape. Then write on the outside “Do NOT open until [date]!” Stash the box somewhere and forget it until Opening Day.

If I ruled the world

Your child has been elected to rule the world. They will need to give an acceptance speech on TV to their adoring subjects, but must supply the text of this speech to the person (you) who types it for the TelePrompTer. Other members of the campaign (i.e., the family) can also help with all steps leading to the final speech — proper costumes for Sibling Subjects, setting up the TV studio, and typing the speech. First, choose the props. What hat or crown should the Ruler of the World wear? What outfit? Does your child have a personal symbol of greatness, such as a favorite stuffed toy, blanket, item of clothing, or sports equipment? Set up the TV studio. You will need something to function as a camera (it can be pretend), lights turned on the Ruler, a microphone-like object, and something to serve as a podium. You can take a video on your phone. Now plan the speech. If your child has trouble with handwriting or sequencing, talk first about their ideas for ruling the world. What needs to be changed in the world? What would make it fun for their subjects to live in his world? Is there anybody your child wants to thank for helping them reach this important position? What are their plans for the future? If your child’s learning difficulties prevent them from handwriting comfortably, you can audiotape the brainstorming, jot down the key ideas, or take dictation. Then enter it into a computer or print by hand. Tape the papers together so that they form one long sheet. Have another child or friend hold up the paper next to the “camera” and let the Ruler deliver their speech. Share the video with family, especially at a gathering if you can, for the rest of your kid’s life.

Make writing a game, not a chore

Writing has many stages before it reaches paper — generating ideas, noticing likenesses, deciding on one main idea, eliminating other ideas, choosing appropriate words, and putting them in an order that readers can follow — and these stages can all be fun!

Your child may not always love to sit down and write. But if they can learn to enjoy the creative process and write for a reason and an audience, half the battle is won. Incorporate writing naturally into play and it need not be a chore for your child or for you. Let those ideas flow into print and sparkle.

Homes Nearby

Homes for rent and sale near schools

6 ways to improve a college essay

Quick writing tips for every age

Writing on the wall

Why parents must teach writing

Yes! Sign me up for updates relevant to my child's grade.

Please enter a valid email address

Thank you for signing up!

Server Issue: Please try again later. Sorry for the inconvenience

• Skip to main content

Use promo code: SJT15OFF to take an extra 15% off your first purchase!

Susan Jones Teaching

Teaching Resources

How to Teach Writing in Kindergarten – Writing Strategies in K

Susan Jones August 13, 2022 Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate ads at no cost to you. See my disclosures for more information.

Wondering what writing strategies work best in kindergarten classrooms? In this post, I share three of my favorite writing strategies for kindergarten! These three tips will help your youngest students feel confident writing and sharing their ideas. I also wrote a post about three big ideas to keep in mind when teaching writing in kindergarten, so you can check it out here if you’re interested: ( read things to keep in mind when teaching writing to kindergarten ) .

Before I dive in, I wanted to let you know you can watch or listen to all this information in video format below:

Tip #1: Say It First

When we say our stories aloud, it gives students ideas to write about and they can “hold” their idea in their minds before they draw/write. In kindergarten, you will see many of your students writing stories while relying on dictation or illustration. This is developmental and we always praise our students’ work, regardless of how much they are physically writing. Saying our ideas aloud is often used as a pre-writing strategy, and students tend to benefit from telling stories orally first before moving on to drawing and writing. 

Note: If you are interested in other prewriting strategies, I made a video all about them that you can check out here ( prewriting tips for k-2 ) .

You can practice this in your classroom by modeling it for your students. Any time you are going to write or draw something on the board, make sure you narrate it first so your students can register that this is the first step of writing. It also makes a great partner activity because your students can flush out ideas and organize their thoughts as they tell stories to each other. They can ask questions and work through ideas so they will have a clear narrative when they move on to draw their illustrations or write their story. 

Tip #2: Add to the Illustrations 

In the same way that saying your story out loud helps with the writing process, so does adding to your illustrations. A great way to get your students to write more and make their stories longer when they reach that step is to have them add to their illustrations first. There are many different ways students can add more to their illustrations, but below are some of my favorites to have my kindergarten students add to their work:

Add labels to the illustration 

This exercise is great because it adds to the illustration but also allows your students to practice their letters and words by sounding out what they hear and, to the best of their ability , writing it on the page. I always encourage my kindergarten students to write even just one letter to label things in their illustrations.

Add character emotions and actions 

The anchor chart below is an excellent resource for going over character emotions and what we can add to our illustrations to show how a character feels in our story. You can also add different elements to show movement, such as action lines to show that a character is running or a ball is flying through the air. You’d be surprised how only a few small lines on a picture can bring a whole new narrative to a story. 

Add background and setting details

Ask your students questions about what time of day it is, whether it is night or day, or if they are outside or inside, etc., and have them add to their illustrations to show these background and setting details.

Add speech and thought bubbles

Speech bubbles are another way to add a lot to a story through illustrations. However, many kindergarteners may not be at the level yet to add words to a speech bubble. This is a great opportunity for them to go for it and practice with inventive spelling, or they can even just draw another picture inside the thought bubble. They can still add to their story without even having to use any words yet. 

Tip #3: Model Everything

I mean it. Model everything . Every single day when you are teaching a mini-lesson, model it first for your class to show them exactly what it is going to look like before having them try it out.

I like to model writing in two different ways: 

By writing it in front of the class 

Write the whole piece either on the whiteboard or on a piece of chart paper in front of the class and go through the whole process with them. You want to model exactly what you expect your students to be doing when it is their turn, and you want to give them at least one clear way to get the job done.

Using mentor texts

If you find a book or text that clearly demonstrates a skill that you want to work on, you can use a mentor text as a reference to show your class. For example, if you tell your class to add background details to their illustrations, there are plenty of picture books you can show them and point out how the clouds or the color of the sky do a great job of describing the setting. 

So there are three of my best tips for teaching writing to kindergarten students! To recap: #1 is to have students say their ideas aloud BEFORE writing or drawing. #2 is to add details to the illustrations (this will give students more ideas to add to their stories). #3 is to model, model, model! Explicit instruction is necessary for our youngest students so they know what their writing should look and sound like!

Do you have other writing strategies you love using to help build successful writers in kindergarten? Let me know them in the comments!

Pin this post to remember:

You may also enjoy these posts...

Reader Interactions

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Free CVC Word Mapping Mats

Sign up for my free email newsletter and receive these free CVC Word Mapping Mats to help with your next lesson plan!

Check out these popular writing resources!

We have loads of great writing resources over in the shop. Here are just a few I pulled together for you!

Beginning of the Year Writing

First Grade Writer’s Workshop units

Paragraph Writing Activities & Lessons: PRINTABLE & DIGITAL (Seesaw & Google)

Opinion Writing Unit

Hello friends.

Welcome to Susan Jones Teaching. When it comes to the primary grades, learning *All Things* in the K-2 world has been my passion for many years! I just finished my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and love sharing all the latest and greatest strategies I learn with you through this blog and my YouTube channel! I hope you'll enjoy learning along with me :)

More About Me

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Pre-order my book and get a free bonus! LEARN MORE

The Measured Mom

Education resources for parents and teachers

PS PK K 1 2 3 8 Comments

How to teach writing in kindergarten

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sharing is caring!

• Pinterest 167

Do you want to know how to teach writing in kindergarten? We’re sharing our best tips!

If you want to know how to help your kindergartners learn to be confident, independent writers, then you’re in the right place. Here are our top tips!

1. Move beyond the writing center.

A writing center stocked with paper, alphabet charts, writing instruments, and other fun supplies is a must. The problem is when the center is simply a place that children may choose to visit during free choice time. Instead, teach all children how to use the center’s resources during regular, whole-class writing time.

2. Have a daily Writing Workshop.

Writing Workshop is a method of teaching writing that allows students to choose their own topics for their own audiences. Students meet 3-5 days per week for a 20-40 minute workshop.  The workshop consists of a short lesson, an independent writing period, and sharing time.

It is the ongoing, routine, and personalized nature of the workshop that makes it the ideal choice for all grade levels from K-8.

3. Think through every management detail before you begin.

Envision exactly how you want the workshop to look and sound. Make a list of all the routines and procedures that will make this outcome possible. Where will students write? Where will they get their supplies? How will they move to the whole class meeting area? How will they get your help if they need it? Young children need to talk as they write, both to themselves and their peers. How will you manage the noise level?

4. Let children create picture books.

Rather than giving children a single piece of paper or a bound notebook during the Workshop, give them a stack of 5 pieces of paper stapled together. Children may not know what to do with a single sheet, but they’re familiar with books. They can tell a story when you give them a stack of paper, extending their idea over several pages. Plus, kids like to “make stuff.” Writing a book qualifies.

5. Teach developmentally appropriate mini-lessons.

Instead of starting each day with a prompt (“I like…” or “My mom is…”), give a short  (5-10 minute) mini-lesson. At the start of the year a mini-lesson could be something as simple as where to get more paper when you run out of it. Another lesson might be one in which you teach children how to use the alphabet chart to find the sound of a letter. Eventually you will teaching things like leaving spaces between words or even adding dialogue.

6. Teach the writing process.

You’re familiar with the writing process, right? Most of us have heard of pre-writing, writing, revising, editing and publishing.

What I love about the workshop approach is that it allows each child moves through the process at his own pace, at his own developmental level. When you teach kindergarten, the process may look a little different that it does in the other grades.

Pre-writing may simply consist of  talking about the writing before the child gets started. Most of the writing time is spent writing, as children do very little revising and editing in kindergarten. Revision may be as simple as adding a detail to a picture or adding an extra sentence to the end. Publishing is also very simple in kindergarten. Have students add their name and a cover to their books and add their name. They can add their books to the classroom reading center and call them “published.”

7. Make sharing time a teaching time.

We don’t want a sharing time in which all children take turns reading their writing to squirming, bored classmates. You can solve this common problem by choosing just a few students per day and highlighting their process.

“Kyla, can you tell us how you came up with your idea?”

“Logan, why did you decide to add that detail to your picture?”

“Mara, I noticed you reading your writing after you finished. Can you tell us more about that?”

Encourage your students to read their writing to the class. Teach their classmates how to listen, ask questions, and give positive feedback.

8. Limit dictation.

Dictation can be useful when the teacher initiates the writing in a modeled writing or shared writing lesson. But when you consistently write down your students’ words during independent writing time, you are communicating that adults write, not children.

If you’re concerned that you or your student won’t remember what he’s written, you could write it discreetly on a sticky note and store it on the back of the writing or in your own notebook.

9. Let children invent their spelling.

I’m usually disheartened when an education blogger shares a post about invented spelling on Facebook; not because I disagree with the practice, but because someone always chimes in with a complaint that “kids today” aren’t being taught how to spell. Invented spelling is lazy spelling, and back in their day the teachers had it right.

Here’s the deal.

Invented spelling is a way to help young writers write everything they want to say before they are developmentally ready to use conventional spelling. When they streeeetch out words and write the sounds they hear, they can write things like “I WNT A MTRSKL” (I want a motorcycle.) When they write their words phonetically, they’re better able to read them back. If we hand children spellings, they miss out on so many learning opportunities.

Read : The Do’s and Don’ts of Invented Spelling

10. Enjoy yourself!

Young children love to write. It is an absolute joy to see them open up their hearts on paper. Rather than being overwhelmed by what they’re not doing yet, celebrate every milestone. Draw on your extra stores of patience and love during this special time of your day.

When you love Writing Workshop, your students will too!

Does teaching writing feel overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be!

You’ll love the encouragement and practical advice in our ebook.

Free Spelling Games

Get this fun variety of sample spelling games from the membership site! The download includes resources for spelling CVCE words, long vowel teams, and multi-syllable words.

You May Also Enjoy These Posts:

Reader Interactions

September 24, 2017 at 8:09 pm

Hi Anna… I am teaching first grade and I really need help with to change my jeans. Which book of yours would you recommend for me? Into you have any hardback books that aren’t on email? Katrina

September 24, 2017 at 8:13 pm

Anna…I meant on teaching writing to my kids. I talked into this thing and then didn’t check what I had written! so sorry, Katrina

September 25, 2017 at 5:55 am

Hi Katrina 🙂 I’m glad you clarified – ha! I do not have any hardback books. My digital writing workshop guide is a really excellent overview of teaching writing with lot of really helpful charts and tips.

https://www.themeasuredmom.com/product/writing-workshop-guide-k-8/

If you want something that will help you go further and you’re teaching first graders, here are some good paper books (aff. links):

-First Grade Writers: http://amzn.to/2wNWLVB -First Lessons for Beginning Writers: http://amzn.to/2y2Kz3F

March 13, 2017 at 6:45 am

I need to subsribe

Anna Geiger

March 18, 2017 at 5:51 am

You can do that at the bottom of any post, at the top of the home page, or in the sidebar.

esther esses

October 31, 2016 at 3:05 pm

Dear Anna, I enjoy your emails very much and they really help me. I saw you had a chart forb5bhelping young childen help themselves sound out words with pictures for spelling. I think you made 2 mistakes on the chart. For the long e sound you used a picture of an ear. I think that is not a real long e sound because it is r controlled and the e changes sounds because of the r. Also in using orange for the long o sound it also is an r controled sound and not a real long o. What do you think. Keep up your great work. Esther Esses

November 4, 2016 at 11:21 am

Hi Esther! I think you have some great points. The tricky thing about making sound charts is that people say the sounds differently depending on where they live. When I say “ear” and “orange” they sound just like the long vowel sounds, but in some parts of America people say “orange” with the short o sound. Another example is the word “bag” (or any short a word). Where I live, many people say it with a long a sound. So I guess I just do what works for me instead of trying to get it right for everyone. 🙂

[…] Teach Sentence Writing for Kindergarten and 1st Grade . […]

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Science of Reading Resources

Popular freebies.

Get instant access to science of reading workshops and over 2000 printable resources!

Become a Member

Literacy Lines

Home » Literacy Lines » Teaching Writing in Kindergarten

Teaching Writing in Kindergarten

I just read another good blog post from Tim Shanahan , this one about how to teach writing in kindergarten…. on the same day that our new Keys to Early Writing book is going to the printer! So, I thought I’d devote this entry to kindergarten writing instruction.

You might be asking this question: Do young children in kindergarten even have the skills to be able to write? Part of the answer is how you define writing . If you substitute the word composing , it’s easy to see that the answer is yes! Kindergarteners definitely have the ability to compose, even if they can’t yet read or write letters.

One thing we point out in our Keys to Early Writing training is the difference between transcription skills and writing/composing skills. Transcription skills include spelling and handwriting, tasks for which students should become fluent by the time they leave grade 3. For reading, when students become fluent in decoding/word recognition, there is more cognitive energy available to focus on making meaning. It’s similar to writing – when students become fluent in transcription skills, it frees them to focus on determining what they want to say and how they want to say it. However, with both reading and writing, this doesn’t mean that students have to learn to decode, spell and write letters before we can teach them comprehension and compose. The Common Core writing standards recognize this. The opinion, informational, and narrative writing standards all begin in Kindergarten as shown below.

Kindergarten Common Core Writing Standards:

• # 1 Opinion Writing : tell the topic or name of a book, state opinion or preference; use drawing, dictating, and writing to complete an opinion piece
• # 2: Informational Writing : name what they are writing about; use drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative texts; supply some information about the topic
• # 3: Narrative Writing : use drawing, dictating and writing to narrate a single event of several loosely linked events; tell about the events in the order in which they occurred; provide a reaction to what happened

Notice that the standards include drawing and dictating as an alternative to actual writing. Students enter kindergarten with a very wide range of skills – some can’t name the letters and do not know how to match sounds to letters, while others can independently apply basic reading and writing skills. Also, learning of these basic skills is highly accelerated in this grade. There is a big difference between the skills they have at the start of the school year and the end.

Drawing is a critical stage in early writing – it is a form of rehearsal for writing. The act of drawing and the picture itself provide a supportive scaffolding within which students can construct a piece of writing. Lucy Calkins (1994) notes that by using just a single word with a picture, a student is able to convey a story because most of the meaning is carried by the picture. Here’s what she has to say about kindergarten and grade 1 drawing:

“First drawings “hold the world still” – they tend to be a collection of objects placed on the page. Then students enter action by using lines, dots, arrows or something similar to show that the characters are interacting with each other in their settings. In these grades, students can convey their meaning more easily through drawing than through print because their word writing is limited.”

Young children often have a lot more to say than their drawings can capture. This is where the help of an adult comes in. When teachers ask students to explain the opinion, information, or narrative they are trying to convey in their drawing, and then transcribe (i.e., write down) their responses, the students are able to connect their composing to print.

Oral Rehearsal

Shanahan emphasizes the value of dictating throughout his blog post. Here’s some of what he suggests:

“I have always begun children’s writing with oral composition… Oral writing tends to be easier for young kids than writing by hand is and it helps them to gain the concept of writing—which very quickly bears fruit in guiding them into creating their own writing by hand. In kindergarten, I would usually start language experience out on a whole class basis. The first step is a shared experience… some hands-on activity or observational event in which everyone is engaged. Then gather kids around a chart and ask them to tell about the experience. Some of this can be “turn and talk,” some of it might be students responding individually to teacher questions. The idea is to help kids see that language allows them to relive experiences and to think about them.

Now that you have them buzzing, tell them that you want to write an article about the experience. Ask who has something they would like to say about the experience. Then help that child construct a sentence about it. This might be simply transcribing what was said, or it might be helping the child to expand a thought and then transcribing. Print the students’ ideas to get 4 or 5 sentences. I continue with this kind of thing regularly until students are able to do it easily…By the time you are done with language experience approach, the children should have a clear idea of the nature of book sentences, that print (the ABCs) is used to record one’s words, that print moves from left-to-right and from top-to-bottom. They should know the difference between pictures and writing, too.”

I’ll be sharing more from Keys to Early Writing in some upcoming blog posts. You may find some of the free templates and printables from the book helpful. Click here to access them.

Click here to learn more about Keys to Early Writing .

Calkins, L. M. (1994).  The art of teaching writing.  Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

• Joan Sedita

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

It was interesting when Shanahan talked about how oral writing tends to be easier for young kids than writing by hand. My husband and I want to find a great kindergarten program for our daughter to give her the best possible start on her formal education this fall. Asking about oral writing should help us find a knowledgeable kindergarten teacher, so thanks for sharing the idea!

I am most captivated when you wrote that the students can connect their composing to print when teachers request students to write down the opinion, information, or narrative they are trying to express in their drawing. I think that is a very good way to enhance not just the drawing skills of a child but also their writing skills. This made me convinced more that planning to enroll my son in kindergarten is a smart move.

Subscribe by Email

• Adolescent Literacy
• Brain and Literacy
• Close Reading
• College and Career Ready
• Common Core
• Complex Text
• Comprehension Instruction
• Content Literacy
• Decoding and Fluency
• Differentiated Fluency
• Differentiated Instruction
• Digital Literacies
• Disciplinary Literacy
• Elementary Literacy
• English Language Learners
• Grammar and Syntax
• High School Literacy
• Interventions
• Learning Disabilities – Dyslexia
• Middle School Literacy
• MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support)
• PK – Grade 3 Literacy
• Professional Development
• RTI (Response to Intervention)
• Special Education
• Teacher Education
• Teacher Evaluation
• Text Structures
• Uncategorized
• Vocabulary Instruction
• Writing Instruction

Posts by Author

• Becky DeSmith
• Donna Mastrovito
• Brad Neuenhaus
• Shauna Cotte
• Sue Nichols
• Amy Samelian
• Colleen Yasenchock
• Maureen Murgo
• melissa powers
• Sande Dawes
• Stephanie Stollar

ACCESSING KEYS TO LITERACY PD DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES

We are closely monitoring the covid-19 situation and the impact on our employees and the schools where we provide professional development., during this time period when onsite, face-to-face training and coaching is not possible, we offer multiple options for accessing our literacy pd content and instructional practices., if you are a current or new partner, explore our website or contact us to learn more about:.

• Live virtual training, coaching
• Facilitated and asynchronous online courses
• Free webinars and resources

[email protected] 978-948-8511

How to Teach Narrative Writing for Kindergarten and First Grade: Step by Step

Narrative writing is often one of the first forms of writing kindergarten and first grade students do. This is because writing a personal narrative, or writing about our own experiences, is often less challenging than other form of writing. Still, teaching young children how to write narrative pieces can feel overwhelming. Here is how to introduce narrative writing step by step in a first grade or kindergarten classroom from a classroom teacher.

Are Your Students Ready for Narrative Writing?

Are your students ready to dive into narrative writing? Before you begin writing a personal narrative, it’s important to make sure your students are already comfortable with a few other things. Here are the things to teach before you dive into narrative writing.

• Letter sounds – Your students don’t need to know all of their letter sounds, but they need to know enough so they can easily sound out simple words . If your students can’t yet stretch and tap out some words, they are not ready for this type of narrative writing. Instead, it’s more important to focus on strengthening their letter sound, segmenting, and blending skills. This doesn’t mean they can’t draw a picture of a personal experience and have you write a caption for them (which is a valid form of narrative writing), but having them attempt to write their own sentences without a firm letter sound foundation is simply not a great use of time. So, make sure they have a solid letter sound foundation first.
• Illustrations- Although most students are comfortable drawing, we shouldn’t just assume that they are. Instead, it’s very helpful to take some time to discuss the importance of illustrations. (After all, illustrations enhance the story.) You can explore the illustrations in some favorite picture books, and even take some time to practice drawing different objects, people, and animals. The more details students can convey through their pictures, the easier it will be for them to use those illustrations to support their writing.
• Sentences – Lastly, before diving into narrative writing, it’s important to spend time teaching your students the basics of sentence writing . Do yourself (and their future teachers) a favor, and take at least a full week to develop their understanding of sentences. If you’re teaching first grade, you can even go a bit further if they’re ready for it. (Learn how to teach your students about basic sentences and going further with sen tences .)

Step 1: Introduce Beginning, Middle, and End with Mentor Texts

Okay, so now your students are ready to dive into personal narrative writing. The first step is to spend some time reading some mentor texts together. I personally prefer to read realistic fiction texts. Some of my favorites are Jabari Jumps , Jabari Tries , and Anything by Ezra Jack Keats (because who doesn’t love Peter!).

Discuss how every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Make an anchor chart together for students to refer to. Each time you read a story, have students retell the beginning, middle, and end. ( Read why mentor texts matter here. ) Taking the time to show them good narratives makes it so much easier for them to develop their own.

Step 2: Draw It Out

Once we’ve read and retold some narrative stories, it’s time to give it a try. Planning writing is so important, so we start there. First, talk about potential topics. I always tell my students to think about things they do often, such as what they do before and after school, on the weekends, or on special days like birthdays. Then, I model drawing a beginning middle, and end of a personal narrative. I talk through each step and we make sure that the series of events are consecutive and go together. This is where picking something that is routine can be helpful- such as getting ready for school. After I model, I have students draw their beginning middle, and end. If possible, it’s really helpful to allow them to pair up with a partner and tell about their pictures. This helps them find the words for their story.

Step 3: Label It

After they have drawn their beginning, middle, and end, I model labeling each of their pictures. We talk about how, when we label, we only need 1-2 words. This is helpful because typically writing a personal narrative will span over many days, so the picture and the label helps them (and me) remember what they’re writing.

When my students are labeling, I ask them to tap out their words and try their best with spelling. I do not spell words for them. This is because I am able to learn a lot about where they are in their literacy journey and understanding by what they can write on their own and how they can write it. For example, if a student writes “et” for eat versus “ete”, I know that the second child is aware that “et” is a short e so there needs to be something else that makes e say the long e sound.

Step 3. Write a First Draft

Once my students have labeled their pictures, I model how to write a first draft. I model looking at my picture and label and them using it to write a sentence. When we read narrative writing and create our anchor chart, we talk about using transition words like first, next, and last. We use these words when we retell the stories so they are already familiar and comfortable with them. So, we write first and then a sentence about our first picture. For example, “First I put on my shoes.” I model this for the beginning, middle, and end. One important thing is to add some mistakes in your writing. (This is important for step 5.) I tell my students that I am going to make some mistakes, and we don’t have to worry about them yet because this is just the first draft.

To start, I only ask them to write 3 sentences. One for the beginning, middle, and end. Although eventually we’ll work to writing a introduction and closing sentences, at first I keep it simple. I would much rather my students confidently write 3 sentences than push them to do more before they are ready.

Once I’ve modeled, I have my students write their draft. I will write the transition words on the board for them, or encourage them to look at the anchor chart. As they write each part, they check it off so they can make sure they include each one. Drafting typically takes a full day, sometimes too. Again, I do not spell words for my students at this stage. I want to see what they can do on their own. Plus, it is important for the next step.

Step 4: Editing Your Draft

After everyone has written their first draft, I introduce the idea of editing. Together, we create this anchor chart of the different editing marks. Then, we look back together at my first draft. We read each sentence together, and I let my students tell me what mistakes they see . I make sure to have at least one of every common mistake in my writing.

Once we’ve edited my writing, I show them how to rewrite my story to a final draft. We talk about going word by word so we don’t miss any important changes.

Step 4.5: Sit and Edit TOGETHER with Each Student

Once they have helped me edit my writing, I sit with each and every student and help them edit their story. I ask them to read me the story. This is important because I want to make sure they can understand and read what they wrote. After they read the whole thing, I make sure to compliment them on a few things they did really well. Then, we go through sentence by sentence and talk about what things we can fix. I make sure they understand why any changes need to be made. Once we’ve finished, I give them a paper to write their final draft on and they get started right away while it’s fresh in their mind.

If you’re wondering, yes, this takes a long time. Sitting one on one with 25 students takes many days. Sometimes a full week, but this is the most valuable time in the writing process because it gives me a window into where they are, gives me a chance to focus specifically on the areas the student needs, and allows me to encourage them in the areas they’re doing well. Often times, this turns into a one on one mini lesson on capitals, certain spelling patterns, punctuation, etc. It is time well spent, even if it means that it takes 3 full weeks to complete a writing piece.

If you’re also wondering what the other children are doing, that is a great question. It really varies, but typically I meet with students while the rest of the class is working on literacy centers . I also might work on editing writing when they’re working independently on their inquiry work or morning work . Really, any time is fair game. Any time I have a few minutes, I’ll grab a student to edit their writing.

A helpful tip: If your students struggle with tracking when they’re rewriting a rough draft to a final draft, this works like a charm. Cut a piece of construction paper in half, cut a little window, and that’s it! This allows them to only focus on 1-2 words at a time. As time goes on, you can make the window longer, if you want.

Step 5: Publishing and Celebrating

The final step is letting students enjoy the fruits of their labor! After they have all finished their final draft, we take time to share our writing. The first time, I typically have them partner up and share two stars and a wish . Long before we begin narrative writing, I like to share this video about Austin’s Butterfly with my students. It helps them understand the purpose and benefit of getting and giving feedback. We practice giving feedback often, so this is not a new thing for our class. After they share their writing with a partner, I ask willing students to share some of the stars and then some of the wishes they received.

As we continue, sometimes I ask students to share their writing in small groups, with the whole class, or sometimes on Seesaw for their parents. This step is so important, though, because it allows them to feel a great sense of completion and accomplishment.

I typically tape or staple the two drafts together so the students can see the progression of their work. They always love to see what they started with and where they ended up! They also enjoy checking off their self assessment when they’re finished.

Step 6: Going Further

You might be wondering, if or when we make more detailed changes. When I first introduce narrative writing, we stick to 3 sentences and just fixing surface errors. With the next writing piece, I encourage my students to add a topic sentence or more details. Each time we work on adding more and more until they have created a story with an introduction, beginning, middle, end and closing sentence. I also encourage them to expand their sentences and add more details. I would rather my students take it slow and really feel confident than to rush and their teacher next year to have to reteach all of this.

If you’d like the template that I use for personal narrative writing, you can find it in my free resource library for email subscribers . Click the picture below to find it. You can also read more about my year long writing curriculum here .

You might also enjoy:

3 Ways to Build Confidence in Your Developing Writers

Free At Home Parent’s Guide for Supporting Student Writing

Why Strong Sentence Skills Help Students Produce Better Writing

The Easy Way to Teach Students to Expand Sentences

Find me on  Instagram ,  Facebook ,  Twitter , and  Pinterest .

Join my FREE Facebook Club for k-2 teachers here .

Primary Paradise

You may also like.

How to Implement a Reading Fluency Creative Writing Routine

How I Teach a New Phonics Sound in First Grade

4 Pumpkin Themed Activities Your Students will Love This October

• Number & Place Value
• Addition & Subtraction
• Measurement & Geometry
• Play-based Learning
• Formative Assessment
• Planning & Programming
• Art & Craft
• Digital Learning
• Sustainability
• Transition to School
• Systems & Routines
• Classroom Themes
• Learning Displays
• Decorative Displays
• Emotional Literacy
• Staff Activities
• Teaching Literacy Phonics Reading Writing Math Number & Place Value Addition & Subtraction Measurement & Geometry Teaching Practice Play-based Learning Formative Assessment Planning & Programming Other Categories Art & Craft Digital Learning Fine Motor Sustainability Transition to School
• Classroom Classroom Management Behaviour Systems & Routines Storage Decor & Displays Classroom Themes Learning Displays Decorative Displays DIY & Hacks DIY Hacks
• Well-being Social-emotional Learning Emotional Literacy Kindness Gratitude Teacher Well-being Staff Activities

Kindergarten Writing Journals: Daily Journal Prompts & Tips

One of the best ways to help your kindergarten students learn the writing process is to use daily kindergarten writing journals. However, there are a few important things to remember to implement them appropriately. Learn how to find the best journals and incorporate them into your daily routines with these supplies, prompts, and tips! 

Kindergarten journals are a great way to build your students' writing skills! When writing becomes a daily habit, it becomes much easier and less stressful. Since kindergarteners cannot all read and may still be developing the fine motor skills to write by hand, it's essential to adapt your routines to be developmentally appropriate.

To start, you might want these free blank writing pages  which you could staple together to create a journal. 

They have wide lines and are colour-coordinated to help your students form their letters properly.  

What are Kindergarten Writing Journals?

There are several different ways to make or use kindergarten writing journals, so let's break it down.

You can either buy or make your own writing journals. This can look like printing out a bunch of the free writing pages above or purchasing pre-made primary notebooks with wide lines.

Best Kindergarten Writing Journals

You can easily make your own journals, but if you prefer something premade and bound, these are some great primary notebooks you can order online:

If you are in Australia...

Student Notebook - these landscape pages have large handwriting lines for students to write on.

Salmon Exercise Books - these landscape pages are blank - perfect for very beginning writers and for drawing pictures. 

My Big Writing Book - this book has both handwriting lines and room to draw pictures!

Ground Grass Sky Exercise Books - these are great for scaffolding handwriting!

If you are in the USA...

Mead Primary Notebook - This journal has colour-coded blue and red lines with plenty of space between them. They're a great basic option, but there is no room for drawing.

Mintra Notebook Bundle - The great thing about these daily writing journals is that the top portion of the journal has space for drawings. This is ideal for students who may not be ready to write full sentences right away and need to rely on images to support their writing.

Oxford Jr Primary Notebooks - These small journals are about the size of half of a regular journal. Since they are smaller and positioned horizontally, they are ideal for younger kids. The spiral also makes it easy to open the notebook to lay completely flat on the desk. Oxford Jr also makes full-sized primary notebooks  which are not spiral-bound.

Free Kindergarten Journal Writing Prompts

I created a list of over 100 journal prompts for kids you can use, and they're all completely free! Add these to your lesson plans, and you'll have over half a year's prompts to use anytime.

How to Use Kindergarten Writing Journals

There are several ways to incorporate journals into your instruction. The best method is to use them daily, starting at the beginning of the year, although it will take time to scaffold your students to independence!

How to Start a Daily Writing Routine

Let's help your students start writing complete sentences every single day, starting at the beginning of kindergarten. Since it's much less cognitively demanding for students to share information about themselves or their lives, this is a natural place to start developing their writing skills. There are several ways to do this, though!

Recount Writing

I'm a big fan of recount writing and have a free guide to help you implement this practice in your classroom.

The basic idea of recount writing is to have students share something that happened to them recently. 

This type of writing can become formulaic, which is a good thing for beginners. The repetition makes it easier for your students to internalise the process, making it faster and easier each time.

By following the same familiar scaffold each week, it reduces the cognitive load for beginning writers. 

I love using this method with The Hive because you can pull up these kindergarten journal prompts and recount sentence starters automatically, saving plenty of time in the morning!

Question of the Day

This option is more open-ended, so it can be more challenging for students who are just learning to write. This is best used as an extension or for the end of the year. It's also great with older elementary grades!

To do this, post a question on the board every day. Ask about their favourite book, their favourite subject in school, their favourite season, what they want to be when they grow up, their favourite food, etc. 

You could also use The Hive 's Sharing Question discussion prompts:

Writing Station

You could also incorporate your Kindergarten writing journals with a Writing Station. 

This will further free up the cognitive load for students, by providing them with loads of sentence stems and writing prompts!

You can download my Kindergarten Writing Station here .

Sentence Worksheets

These sentence writing worksheets can be used in a variety of ways to introduce early sentence writing skills . You could staple the pages together to create a kindergarten writing journal.

1. Read   the simple sentence

2. Cut and paste   the words to build the sentence,

3. Write   the sentence.

Tips for Using Kindergarten Journals

1. give it an authentic purpose..

Your students will work more intentionally when there is a purpose for their work. They will be much more engaged and take responsibility for the work they produce.

How can your students share their writing in a meaningful way? Have them read off their response during the morning meeting, place their student workbook under the document camera, or share their writing with their classmates. 

2. ​Make it a daily routine.

Think of writing as a muscle. If you only flex it every once in a while, the muscle will be weak and get tired quickly. If you flex it every day, it'll become faster, stronger, and more capable.

Find a way to incorporate these writing activities into your classroom routine. They're a great way to help kids settle in each morning, or you can use them as part of your independent writing centers. 

3. Change it up.

Repetition can be powerful, but not if it gets boring. The brain loves things that are new and novel. If you don't want to ask the same questions or use the same writing prompts each day, generate a list of different prompts or questions or incorporate a free writing session to give your students a chance to show off their creative writing.

​4. Have a separate morning journal.

If you incorporate daily journal writing, use two separate journals: one for journaling and one for writing lessons. Add bookmarks to help kids find their place quickly, too!

​5. Set expectations.

Like any assignment, your students need to understand why they're completing a task and how to assess their work. Talk to them honestly about the purpose for writing. Explain that writing is like a muscle, and it gets easier the more you do it. Explain how their hands are changing and developing right now and that they must strengthen those muscles!

To develop metacognition, talk about how to assess the quality of their writing. For recount writing, you're likely looking for just one complete sentence, or perhaps two sentences. In 1st Grade or 2nd Grade, you may start looking for more sentences, as well as more accurate spelling, and more descriptive words.

Here's an example of a Kindergarten writing checklist that you could create and display in The Hive :

Show examples of what high quality writing looks like and help them set goals to improve their writing over time. Let them know they'll be amazed to see their growth over the entire year - is a great goal in itself!

For more writing goal ideas, you might like to take a look at my editable Writing Goals.   

6. Offer writing supports.

If you want your students to be independent writers, they need to know how to write independently. Start by teaching the process explicitly several times. Do the writing exercise together to model the process, and offer various charts or supports for them to use on their own. Break it down by every step! 

Young students won't know how to hold, use, or organise their kindergarten notebook properly, let alone a pencil, a checklist, or an anchor chart. Teach every step of the process and keep your instructions consistent over time. If you need to change an approach or expectation, state it explicitly to avoid confusing them.

Build these supports together or model them:

• A writing checklist (try this free sentence editing checklis t to assess complete sentences, punctuation, and capitalisation)

 You can see this sentence checklist in action here:

Other writing scaffolds or supports could include:

• Letter formation anchor chart (show how to use the lines and make appropriate line spaces)
• Make an interactive writing center to show common spellings
• Clarify the steps or expectations for your routine

The more clearly you can define expectations and offer your students tools to be independent, the more peaceful and productive your kindergarten classroom will be. Students feel good when they know what to do and how to solve a problem. You'll feel good not having to hop from student to student, solving basic issues!

More Writing Resources

• Kindergarten Name Writing Activities
• Imaginary Animal Informative Writing
• Fairy Tales Narrative Writing Activities
• Kindergarten Term 1 Writing Unit
• Handwriting Handout for Parents

Writing needs to become a daily routine if you want to help your students develop their writing abilities. Many older students avoid this task as much as possible, usually because they think they're a bad writer. This usually goes back to not being taught explicitly. They get confused about how to convey their thoughts in writing and also struggle with letter formation, spacing, and even using their materials. 

If you can teach writing incrementally in a developmentally appropriate way, you will demystify this important process for them and develop strong neural pathways and muscle memory that will help them for a very long time. These early writing lessons can make a huge difference!

Ready to take your instruction to the next level?

The Hive's interactive learning tools, videos & resources make it so much easier to explicitly teach writing to your students, without spending hours searching for resources or having to re-invent the wheel yourself.  It's a game-changer!

Sign up for a 7 day free trial of The Hive today!

brought to you by Read Charlotte

Kindergarten | How Can I Help My Child Improve Their Writing?

Give them the tools.

The most important way you can help your child develop their writing is by giving them a pencil, paper, crayons and a place to write. Keep their supplies in a special basket or spot so they can grab what they need whenever the mood to write strikes them.

Encourage Drawing

Ask your child to draw a picture. Have your child describe their drawing.

Be the Family Card Maker

Have your child be the person who creates cards for special occasions. Fold a piece of paper in half and help them write a special birthday card for a family member. These activities show your child that their writing matters and someone will get to enjoy their hard work.

Write a Short Book

Kindergartners love to talk about what they know! Have them make a small book about something they like using a few folded pieces of paper. Fold two or three pieces of paper in half and ask your child to draw a picture on the cover, and help them spell a one word title, such as “Dinosaurs”. Let your child write a story or write a dinosaur fact on each page and include a drawing. Tell them that they’re an author of a real book!

Create a List

Have your child create a short grocery list for you to use at the store. Or have your child create a “to do” list for the morning. For example: Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed. They can use words or pictures. They’ll feel responsible and see that their writing can be a great motivation for their day.

Be a Label Maker

Children delight in creating labels for objects around the house. Help them write and spell signs for doors such as the bathroom, the closet, and the chair. They won’t leave these labels on forever, but it’s a fun way for them to learn new words and develop phonics skills at the same time.

Put their writing on the refrigerator or tape it to the wall to show how proud you are. Ask your child to reread their writing so you can listen. When children make the connection that their writing is meaningful, they’ll be excited to write more.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kindergarten Writing

Home Reading Helper is a resource for parents to elevate children’s reading at home provided by Read Charlotte . 

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade

Reading Skills

• Phonemic Awareness
• Reading Comprehension
• Letter Knowledge
• Sight Words

Quick Links

• Struggling Readers
• Writing Skills
• Language Skills

This content is underwritten by generous grants from:

• Wells Fargo
• Read Charlotte Transformation Fund

© 2020 All rights reserved • Privacy Policy • Website by M|J Creative, Charlotte, NC

• How To Get Pregnant
• Infertility
• Pregnancy Week by Week
• Second Pregnancy
• Giving Birth
• Post Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding
• Development
• Browse Names
• Play & Activities
• Coloring Pages
• Food & Nutrition
• Health & Fitness
• Style & Beauty Care
• Collaborations
• New Parents
• Single Parenting
• Relationships
• Baby Eye Color Calculator
• Online Pregnancy Test
• Chinese Gender Predictor
• Implantation Calculator
• hCG Calculator
• Period Calculator
• ovulation calculator
• pregnancy due date calculator
• Child Height Predictor
• Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator
• Breast Milk Calculator
• Child Growth Percentile Calculator
• Baby Cost Calculator
• BMI Calculator For Kids & Teens
• Contraction Calculator
• Immunization Scheduler and Chart
• C-Section Checklist
• Online Twin Pregnancy Quiz
• Numerology calculator
• Child Blood Type Calculator
• Nakshatra Calculator
• Diaper Bag Checklist
• Baby Name Combiner

Home • Kid • Play And Activities

10 Fun Kindergarten Writing Activities To Teach

Engaging activities help kids learn the concepts better and master skills at an early age.

Elisabeth Daly is a state-certified high school English teacher. Over her two decade career, she has taught students in grades 9-12 at both public and private high schools, and worked as an adjunct professor at her local community college. ... more

Harshita is a graduate in commerce and holds a PG Diploma in Patent and Copyrights Law from NALSAR University. She has also pursued CA and has more than three years of internship experience in auditin... more

Deepa Rachel Thomas holds a master’s degree in English from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. She has done a certification course in Child Development and worked as a mentor for... more

Kavita has a diverse background in finance, human resources, and teaching. She did her MBA in Finance and HR at Solapur University, and bachelor in Education at Pune University. After working for thre... more

Image: Shutterstock

You can’t believe that your little one was just learning to sit, stand and walk recently, and now, they have stepped into kindergarten! This is the time your kid starts holding a pencil to learn writing. Kindergarten writing activities can come in handy while introducing them to writing skills. Writing with kids is a great way to support the development of various skills, including language acquisition, storytelling abilities, fine motor skills, phonics understanding, and literacy development ( 1 ). At this age, they have ideas and thoughts that cannot be expressed by writing. But if trained in the right manner, they may develop good writing skills and beautiful handwriting.

10 Fun Writing Activities For Kindergarten

Children need different platforms to learn and write. You should not restrict your kids from writing on wall or door, as this is their first writing activity . You can hang a mini chalk board on the wall to avoid your wall getting dirty.

Here are some interesting and creative kindergarten writing games and activities.

1. Write an alphabet, number or shape on a white paper and make them to trace it with different colors of crayons. This activity allows them to do the alphabet practice and improve letter recognition skills.

2. Make rough cut outs of 3-4 buses and draw windows, wheels and doors with a sketch pen. Ask them to count and write windows, doors and wheels in each bus.

3. Collect clipboards and tape them with painter’s tape. Make colorful chalk boards by applying colorful paints and your child will happily start writing on it.

4. Write alphabets, shapes or numbers on sandpaper and children will enjoy tracing it with colorful yarns. As sandpaper is rough, the yarn will stay stiff on it.

5. Draw a colorful house and make them to count windows and doors in it.

6. Cut the cardboard into the heart or different shapes and make a chalkboard out of it.

7. Make flower petals out of cardboard and ask them to color, count and write on petals.

8. Sand writing will be fun for kids.

9. Children enjoy making shape and alphabets with dough than paper.

10. Your children will love to write on the white board or tiles with dry erase markers.

Tips To Improve Your Kindergarten Writing

Handwriting is one of the important parts of education, without which the education is incomplete.

• Involve your children in drawing and coloring and this will improve their handwriting .
• Make them write on dotted lines.
• Finger writing is another best way to improve their writing.

Cursive Writing:

Cursive Writing Is Fun and your children have to use it daily. Here are some tips to help them learn cursive writing:

• Take A4 size sheet and fold it lengthwise.
• Make your kid write his/her name in cursive writing.
• Cut the paper in the shape of the alphabet.
• Unfold the paper and see the magic .
• Ask them to color and decorate the paper.

Writing Is Fun:

Generally, kids love to work with colorful things. Kindergarten children think writing is fun and grasp writing basics very soon. But they also have short attention spans, so it is vital you give them varied exercises.

• A writing activity is very important for children to improve and control their motor movements.
• It is tricky to make writing activities for kindergarten, as kids have different level of abilities.
• Initially, they find difficulty in holding a pencil and running their hand across the paper.
• You’ll get to know about your kid’s learning abilities during her writing activity, and design appropriate activities for them.
• Kids will get confidence and will improve their creativity under your guidance.

Alexis McDonell, a Kindergarten teacher, talks about how she implements a writer’s workshop with her students and lets them explore their creativity while having fun. She says, “Every Writer’s Workshop involves a mini-lesson, writing time, and reflection… The children sometimes help me generate a sentence based on the picture I’ve drawn. This is where I teach the children about sounding out words, using finger spaces, directionality, and punctuation ( i ).”

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can most kindergarteners write?

Children make attempts to write by the age of three to four. By the time they reach six years, they may develop the skill of sentence building on subjects that capture their interest.

2. Why are writing activities important?

Writing activities teach children to organize their thoughts, think logically, strengthen memory power and improve literary capacity. Holding a pen or pencil improves fine motor skills in children ( 1 ) ( 2 ).

3. How can writing activities be designed to foster creativity and self-expression in kindergarten students?

Writing activities can be created to promote creativity and self-expression by incorporating different materials to write with, including colors, yarn, crayons, and paint. They allow children to explore and express themselves on sand, paper, or chalkboards. Providing positive feedback can also encourage your child’s creativity and self-expression.

4. How can technology be incorporated into kindergarten writing activities to support student learning?

There are several apps and websites encouraging children to learn how to write that you can incorporate into your child’s learning. Some examples include Dora ABCs Vol 1, LetterSchool, Writing Wizard, hip hop hen: abc letter tracing, and Trace it, Try it.

5. What resources are available to help educators design and implement effective kindergarten writing activities?

Some resources you may turn to to plan effective writing activities include educational websites or forums, curriculum guides, writing workshops or courses, and children’s literature.

6. How can I help my child develop their vocabulary and grammar skills through writing?

Reading and writing go hand in hand. Your child’s vocabulary can tremendously improve if they engage themselves in reading. Let your child have fun and write their own stories or imaginary scenarios. You may also teach them a new word daily and ask them to incorporate it into their writing.

It is beneficial to start teaching children to write from kindergarten to aid them in developing this skill quicker with age. This list of fun kindergarten writing activities you can try with your child can make this learning process easier and more enjoyable. These activities are easy to arrange and do not require many supplies. It can also benefit your kid if you are involved in these activities, allowing you to bond with your little one and teach them to do it the right way.

Infographic: Ways To Improve Handwriting Of Kindergarten Children

Good handwriting skills are crucial for kindergarteners. It will help them write legibly and also increase their confidence and self-esteem. However, developing their writing skills may require time and patience. Check out the infographic below to learn about effective techniques to ease the writing process.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Get the high-quality PDF version of this infographic.

Key Pointers

• Kindergarten writing activities can help children improve their writing skills.
• Drawing, coloring, tracing dotted lines, and finger-writing are great ways to develop writing skills.
• Cursive writing can be practiced by writing the child’s name and cutting the paper in the shape of the alphabet, then coloring them.
• Writing activities help children improve their motor movements, think logically, and strengthen their memory power.
• Children have short attention spans, so engaging them in various writing activities can keep them interested and help them learn while having fun.

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

• Writing With Children; https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/ecliteracy/emergentliteracy/Pages/writingwithchildren.aspx
• Why Should Students Write In All Subjects; https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-students-should-write-all-subjects
• Fact-checker

Elisabeth Daly MSEd

Elisa e. nebolsine lcsw, harshita makvana b.com, pg dip, deepa thomas ma (english), kavita kankani mba, bed, latest articles, 10+ musical instrument crafts for kids to make and play.

Let children feel the joy of creating their music with simple things around them.

26 Creative And Unique Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Get into the Halloween spirit by carving some pumpkins.

13 Halloween Games And Activities For Teens And Tweens

Games to keep the Halloween spirit alive even after the 'trick or treat' is done.

3 Learning Activities For Your One-Month-Old Baby

Safe learning tips that enhance the developing phase of your bundle of joy.

25+ Safe & Fun Water Activities For Toddlers And Preschoolers

Let them beat the heat while taking enough precautions.

17 Best Thanksgiving Quotes And Poems For Kids

Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and making lots of memories together.

12 Easy And Scary Halloween Face Paint Ideas For Kids

Transform your little monster into a spooky character this Halloween.

When to Start Teaching Colors To Toddlers: Tips and Benefits

Creative ways to fascinate your child with colors and also support their growth.

4 Fun & Interesting Learning Activities For 9-Month-Old Baby

Engage your four-month-old in activities that could help them attain significant milestones.

10 Super Fun Puppet Crafts For Your Kids 

Puppet crafts— enhances imagination, creativity, fine motor abilities, and focus.

26 Unique And Creative Collage Art Ideas For Kids

Craft ideas to improve your child’s fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and creativity.

37 Fun And Interesting Activities For Kids

Stickers, oil pastels, play dough, and salt, anything can be a tool in their hand.

• Our Mission

5 High-Impact Writing Strategies for the Elementary Grades

Simple, effective exercises can help elementary students develop the foundational writing skills they need for their academic journey.

When considering writing as part of the instructional day, teachers may think only of the type of writing where students engage in storytelling or informational pieces. While the ability to leverage student choice and produce fiction and nonfiction text is beneficial for all grade levels, it’s important to consider how writing can be incorporated and layered across all content areas, as well as develop the deep foundational understanding to prepare young writers for authoring texts.

For us as teachers, it’s vital that we share a common language and understanding about the types of high-impact writing strategies that students can engage in and how to effectively implement them in the classroom. 

1. Handwriting in the Early Grades

In the digital age, prioritizing handwriting education during phonics instruction remains instrumental in nurturing well-rounded learners and sets them up for success when more stamina is required of them. The tactile experience of handwriting establishes a profound connection between language and sensory perception, contributing increased cognitive development .

Teachers can adopt a common path of movement language (language used to describe how to form the letters) when teaching the letters. In addition to that, providing students with multisensory ways of forming the letters helps create a strong understanding of the letters’ features.

A practical example of this type of instruction is having students trace a lowercase a in a tray full of salt, repeating the path of movement language, “over, around, down.” Then, students practice writing the letter using a pencil or dry erase marker. As the teacher models the directionality, it’s important to ensure that students know what “over,” “around,” and “down” mean and look like and that the teacher is using on-the-spot intervention for correction.

2. Dictated Sentences

Utilizing dictated sentences in elementary phonics instruction holds profound importance in nurturing early literacy skills. This strategy serves as a powerful bridge between decoding individual phonemes and comprehending them within a meaningful context. 

For example, in a phonics lesson where students are practicing decoding and spelling words with a short i vowel and have practiced reading the high-frequency words they and the , the teacher may end the lesson with students writing the dictated sentence, ”They will fill the big bin with wigs.”

This method encourages the application of phonics knowledge in real-word scenarios, promoting fluency and automaticity. In addition, dictated sentences provide a valuable opportunity for students to hone their listening skills, enhancing their ability to discern and reproduce distinct phonetic elements accurately and to authentically apply irregularly spelled high-frequency words in context. This practice benefits students of any grade level working on phonics skills.

3. Writing to Read

Another foundational type of writing that prepares students for more demanding types of writing in later grades is writing to read. This is an interactive approach to early writing instruction where the teacher models early literacy and print concepts starting as early as prekindergarten through early kindergarten. Through collaboration with the students, the teacher models drawing pictures and sentence creation.

Teachers can start by engaging students in a conversation around an event in a book or nursery rhyme they read together. Then, the teacher offers a prompt: “In the story, the characters went to play at the park. That gives me an idea for a story. What kinds of things do you like to do at the park?” Students can share multiple ideas for the story, and the teacher chooses one to model. 

While the teacher explicitly models drawing and develops a sentence about the drawing, the students offer ideas on where to start writing, count the words in the story, identify the sounds they hear as the teacher spells out each word, and notice where spaces will occur. The more that students engage in this type of instruction, the more responsibility we can hand over to them, and they can write the story along with us. As students are given more opportunities to apply early writing principles and rereading strategies, they begin to understand the reciprocal relationship between reading and writing.

4. Reading to Write

When the foundations for early writing have been established, students can quickly move into another layer of high-impact writing, which is writing about the texts that they’re reading. 

Even starting in kindergarten, encouraging students to write and/or draw in response to reading across multiple content areas is a valuable strategy that helps deepen comprehension and understanding of a particular topic, as explored in Linda J. Dorn and Carla Soffos’s book Teaching for Deep Comprehension .

These “writing about the reading” prompts require students to analyze, synthesize, and connect ideas, fostering a deeper understanding of the material. For example, if first-grade students are working on story elements, after reading a story, a student might write, “The character in the story is a bear who lives in the forest. The problem in the story is that he is sad, but he solves his problem when he learns to be happy.” 

This expression encapsulates comprehension, language reinforcement, and academic vocabulary. As students progress through grade levels upward to 12th grade, the scaffold of giving the students a prompt for writing about the text should decrease as they develop enough self-regulation to write about their own thinking.

5. Writing About Learning

Similar to reading to write, this strategy is solely focused on writing about what the student has learned, why the learning is important, and when to use the learning. This type of writing can happen as early as kindergarten, but in a highly scaffolded manner that mostly focuses on articulating why the learning is important.

Students up to 12th grade can benefit from writing about their learning because it keeps the purpose of what they’re learning in various content areas relevant and promotes quick retrieval of the information.

This strategy also promotes metacognition , because it helps learners organize their thoughts and reflect on their learning process. For instance, a second-grade class could collaboratively study the nature of bees in a nonfiction text. Then, because the teacher focuses on the skill of identifying and explaining main ideas and details, a student may write, “I learned the main idea by using headings and key details. Knowing main ideas helps us understand the most important information in a text.”

Reading Teacher

Help! My Kindergartener Can't Read. Here's What You Can Do About It.

If you have a kindergartener that is struggling to read, don't worry - you are not alone. In fact, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), about 66% of fourth-graders are reading at or above grade level. When your kindergartener is having Difficulty reading, it can be a cause of great concern for parents. You may feel like you are doing something wrong, or that your child is doomed to a life of illiteracy. This is not the case! There are a lot of people out there who know what it's like to be in your shoes. The important thing to remember is that with all the incredible resources out there today, the most important thing to do is to practice. We have created a guide to help you start getting your kindergartener on the right track toward reading.

How to Help a Kindergartner that can't read

Here are techniques to help a Kindergartner that can't read :

-Read to them: This is the most important activity you can do to help your child develop reading skills. Make it a part of your daily routine to read aloud together for 20 minutes or more.

-Encourage them to read on their own: Provide materials that are interesting and at their level, such as easy readers, comics, magazines, and short stories. Set aside time each day for them to read independently.

-Make it fun: Playing games, singing songs, and acting out stories are all great ways to help your child develop a love for reading.

-Help them sound out words: When your child comes across a word they don't know, help them sound it out. This will help them to start to understand how the written word works.

Interactive Decodable Stories are helpful

Here is why interactive decodable stories are helpful :

-The stories are short

-The words are repeated multiple times throughout the story

-The words follow a simple pattern

-There is an interactive component that allows the child to practice what they have learned

Some examples of interactive decodable stories are: -"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss -"Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss -"Fox in Socks" by Dr. Seuss

These books are available online, or you can check them out from your local library.

Teaching kindergarten reading

These are tips to work with your child whether they are at home or in the classroom.

If you think your child may be having difficulty reading, the best thing to do is talk to their teacher. Teachers are trained in identifying early reading difficulties and can give you specific advice on how to help your child at home.

There are also many great resources available online and in libraries. Here are a few of our favorites:

- The Reading Machine by Barbara deRubertis: This step-by-step guide walks you through everything from teaching the alphabet to sounding out words.

- What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch: This book covers the basics of reading, writing, and math that every child should know before starting kindergarten.

Start by practicing the alphabet with your child every day. Help them sound out words and read simple sentences. Make reading fun by taking turns reading stories aloud, acting out scenes from books, or coming up with your own endings to stories. Encourage your child to keep reading by letting them choose their own books and providing plenty of praise when they read well. With a little patience and practice, your child will be reading in no time!

What else you can do if my child is not reading at grade level?

If you have exhausted all of the resources available to you and your child is still not reading at grade level, there are a few other things you can do. You can talk to your child's teacher about what they are seeing in class and if they have any suggestions. You can also look into hiring a tutor who specializes in helping children learn to read. The most important thing is to not give up and to keep working with your child. With a little extra help, they will be reading in no time!

If you are concerned that your child may have a learning disability, the first step is to talk to their doctor. They can rule out any medical conditions that may be causing the delay and refer you to a specialist if they think it would be beneficial.

If you have tried all of the above and are still struggling, reach out to us! We are here to help and can offer additional resources and support. Contact us today to learn more.

What are some signs that my child is not reading at grade level?

There are a few signs that may indicate your child is not reading at grade level. If they are struggling to sound out words, having trouble understanding what they read, or are reading very slowly, these may be red flags. If you notice any of these things, it is important to reach out for help so that your child can get back.

What are good words to start with sounding out words?

There are a few good words to start with when sounding out words. Words that have a short vowel sound, such as "cat" or "dog," are usually good for beginning readers. Once your child is able to read these easily, you can move on to longer words. Sounding out words is a great way to help your child learn to read .

By following the steps above, you will be well on your way to helping your child learn to read. Don't forget, the most important thing is to practice, practice, practice! With a little extra help and a lot of patience, your child will be reading in no time.

When it comes to teaching kids how to read, there are a lot of different techniques that can be effective. However, one of the best things that you can do is simply encourage them to read as much as possible. This means setting aside some time each day for reading, whether it’s before bed or first thing in the morning. It’s also important to create a reading-friendly environment in your home by stocking up on books, magazines, and other reading materials. And finally, make sure to praise your child when they show interest in reading or make progress with their skills. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to helping your child become a strong reader.

If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please reach out to us. We are here to help! Contact us today to learn more.

Happy reading!

Start Teaching Reading for Free Now!

Access Level 1’s four interactive stories and the accompanying supplemental resources to teach elementary students how to read. No credit card is needed. Join the 42,635 teachers and students using our reading program.

Instant Access to Teaching Resources

Popular Post

Unlocking literacy: exploring the essential components of reading, helping students to read early: strategies for success, empowering readers: techniques and tools for overcoming reading challenges, unlocking literacy: a guide on harnessing the power of online books for struggling readers, mastering phonics and phonemic awareness: a comprehensive guide, the science of reading scope and sequence: a roadmap to effective reading instruction, exploring effective reading programs in elementary school, fun and educational literacy games for elementary students, fun and engaging reading activities for kindergarten, unlocking fluent reading: strategies to improve reading fluency, empowering struggling readers: strategies to support growth in the classroom, unlocking language skills: understanding phonological awareness.