Little ones are naturally curious about writing. They’ve seen adults do it since the day they were born, and it’s only natural that they try to copy what they see us doing! They may be drawing pictures, they may be pretending to write by making random marks on the page, or they may even be writing letters and words. But, no matter where they are developmentally, they are WRITING! And we can support them in their efforts from the very first day of school! We can offer a variety of engaging opportunities and materials in the writing center to get all of the kiddos excited about writing! And, these back-to-school writing ideas are the perfect way to do it!
The simplest way to start is with writing paper that suits a variety of developmental levels. I like to make it all available then sit back and watch which kiddos choose which paper. The first few weeks of school are always full of fantastic opportunities to observe your kiddos and see what they are naturally drawn to! I love to put out themed writing paper with pencils of all kinds, crayons, markers, and colored pencils for them to use and experiment with!
Theme-based word cards are always a hit as well! I’ve seen this done a million different ways: word walls, portable word walls in file folders, books of words and pictures. But, my favorite by far is to print word cards (with matching pictures), hole punch them, and put them on a ring. This lets the kiddos have the words right in front of them when they are trying to use them in their writing. Copying from a wall or board is really hard for the little ones, and it really isn’t developmentally appropriate for them. So… word cards on rings became my solution! The kiddos love to use them!
Another favorite in my room is hunting for words! I print word/picture cards and hang them up around the room at the kiddos’ eye level. They get a recording sheet and clipboard and start hunting! They search for the word cards, and when they find one, they write the word on their sheet. They also love it when they get to hunt for the word cards in a sensory bin! This is a great option if you don’t want them walking around the room, especially at the beginning of the year.
I use all three of these activities in my writing center throughout the year.If you want to read more about writing in preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten, you definitely need to check out these books! Literacy Beginnings by Fountas and Pinnell is my absolute favorite for all things literacy in preschool and pre-k! Already Ready by Katie Wood Ray is specifically about writing in preschool and kindergarten! No preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten teacher should be without these!!
All of these back-to-school writing activities are available in my TPT Store! Just click on the products below to go straight to them!
You can also get the Back-to-School Word Wall and Write the Room resources in Spanish!
And… You can get all of my back-to-school writing resources, English and Spanish, in one giant bundle!!
What are your favorite writing activities for the beginning of the school year? What do you include in your writing center? Leave a comments below to share your best ideas!!
Happy Teaching!
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