Provide opportunities to model and use writing as a part of symbolic play activities. Children begin to understand the functions of writing through functional daily activity. Incorporating these activities into play provides opportunities to mimic these writing behaviors.

Place writing materials in all play centers. e.g. prescription pads and appointment books in the doctor centre, envelopes and writing materials in the post office play centre, grocery lists and telephone message pads in the house centre.

Model the use of these materials during play.

Art activities provide a vehicle for early literacy. The art itself is a form of self expression and children are encouraged to sign their artwork and to write about it.

Ensure that children have access to a variety of writing/art materials and that these materials are adapted for easy grasp and release.

Meaningful learning experiences are achieved through child directed activity rather than hand over hand activities.

Use bulb shaped crayons that are easy to handle or use thick crayons and markers.

Use T-shaped handles for stamping and sponge painting.

View ideas for art and writing utensil adaptations at:

For children unable to manage adapted handles for visual arts, provide other methods of participation

Use light pointers attached to eye glasses or to a cap to "draw" with head movement while an adult or peer does the actual painting or drawing by following the light path that the child creates.

Use markers attached to battery operated toys or attached to wheelchairs for different types of drawing/painting

Provide the same colouring activities to children using low tech colouring and for those who need to use the computer for independent colouring.

View sample low tech colouring using Boardmaker symbols

Download colouring activities for:

Brown Bear (Classroom Suite File Download)
BrownBearColouring

Hungry Caterpillar (Boardmaker File Downloads)
Low tech black line masters
HCColouringapple
HCColouringbutterfly
HCColouringcaterpillar
HCColouringleaf
HCColouringoranges
HCColouringpears
HCColouringplums
HCColouringstrawberries

Colouring on the computer (Classroom Suite File Download)
HungryCaterpillarColouring

Whole word writing supports language, reinforces conventions about directionality of print and helps children to view themselves as writers.

Provide low tech sentence building activities. Words can be grouped to require sequencing of 2 or more parts to describe a picture.

This type of activity can be adapted to require:

• Picture matching
• Colour matching
• Word recognition

View sample low tech writing activity

Download low tech writing activities for: (Boardmaker File Downloads)

Brown Bear

Pictures for templates:
BrownBearobjects1
BrownBearobjects2
BrownBearobjects3

2 part sequence:
BBlowtech2keytemplate
BBlowtech2keypictures1
BBlowtech2keycolours1
BBlowtech2keycolours2
BBlowtech2keytext1
BBlowtech2keytext2

3 part sequence:
BBlowtech3keytemplate
BBlowtech3keypictures
BBlowtech3keycolours
BBlowtech3keytext

4 part sequence:
BBlowtech4keytemplate
BBlowtech4keycolours
BBlowtech4keytext

Goodnight Moon
GMSentenceTemplate
GMSentencePrompts1
GMSentencePrompts2
GMSentenceWords1
GMSentenceWords2

Providing whole word writing activities on the computer can provide opportunities for self-regulation by providing a means to independently check work. If the computer activity is created in an application that provides voice feedback at the sentence level, children hear the sentence after it is finished and are reinforced auditorally. When they finish their writing, they have an electronic book that can be read on the computer.

Provide computer based sentence building activities for students. Classroom Suite provides a feature for checking work, and allows voice feedback at the letter, word, and/or sentence level.

View a sample activity

Download sample whole word writing for: (Classroom Suite File Downloads)

Brown Bear
BrownBearWriting2blanks
BrownBearWriting3blanks
BrownBearWriting4blanks
BrownBearClozeIntellitalk
BBEasyWritingIntellitalk

Goodnight Moon Easy Writing
GMEasyWriting

Where's Spot?
WSIntellipicsAnimals

Where's Spot? Prepositions
WSIntellipicsPrepositionsObjects

Self-generated writing is an important activity for beginning writers. Spelling helps to reinforce letter sounds and how they combine to create meaningful text. Children are able to read their own writing and to share it with others. This type of activity contributes to their perception of themselves as writers.

Encourage early attempts at writing, even if it is simply signing a piece of artwork.

Encourage labeling of pictures. Any attempt, whether it is a label, beginning letter, or a string of unrelated letters should be encouraged.

Provide access to onscreen keyboards for children who can not use a standard keyboard and provide a layout that is most efficient for writing (i.e. centre based frequency of use for alternate pointing, frequency of use for row/column scanning).

View an early writing activity sample

Download sample early writing activities for: (Classroom Suite File Downloads)

Brown Bear
BBEarlyWritingLbyL

Goodnight Moon
EarlyWriting

Where's Spot?
WSEarlyWriting

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
CBEarlyWriting

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
HungryCaterpillarEarlyWriting