Writing in the Early Years

SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog

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A comprehensive deep dive into early writing. How, when and where it all begins.

9 September 2026

By Samantha Donnelly BA (Hons) MA

Samantha Donnelly is a qualified Early Childhood Practitioner, with more than 15 years of experience working with children, specialising in Early Childhood Education. Samantha is the founder of SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog. Samantha has an affinity with children and is admired for her approach and perspective on the child.

Children’s early experiences of writing can have a significant influence on their views and feelings about writing in the future. [1]

Writing in the Early Years Thumbnail, hand of a two year old scribbling on paper.

Introduction

Many parents start thinking about their child’s writing when they are three or four; some become aware when their child is five or even 6 years old. But did you know the ideal time to start is from the womb? The nurture the child receives in the womb creates the building blocks for their future writing skills.

One of the key skills for writing is the ability to communicate. Some believe babies will begin developing this skill while listening and moving in utero. However, according to the Statutory Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS), language comprehension starts from birth. [1][2][4]

Why are communication skills needed for writing?

Children first develop language through talk. Interactions with adults enable them to develop speech and gain skills.

Use of phonics (letter/sound knowledge) is a key strategy for early writing. However, introducing formal phonics (grapheme-phoneme) too early can be unproductive. For phonic knowledge to develop naturally, children require opportunities to explore and apply phonic understanding through word sounds and interaction. [13][4]

Mother engages verbally with one year old son.

Image credit: AI. Mother speaks to son.

When children are exposed to conversation even at a very young age, it can support their future writing ability. During the early years, children need lots of opportunities to listen to speech. As they become able to collaborate with adults in conversation, this should stimulate the child’s ability to think critically and articulate their ideas. As children gain a wider vocabulary and cognitive strength, their ability as a future writer should increase. In a child’s early years, attention to communication can lay the foundation for generative knowledge (ability to write phrases and sentences that hold meaning). Communication is not only supportive of a child’s writing, but their mastery of language can support their future reading skills. [6][13]

Opportunities for communication in the early years: Applicable by the child’s age and stage.

Narration: Describing the environment, a situation, what happened or what will happen, supporting the child’s comprehension, vocabulary and listening skills.
Songs and Rhymes: Support phonic sound acquisition, collaboration, memory and attention.
Reading to a child: Reading to a child is not limited to books they can understand; sometimes books that are advanced can be cognitively stimulating. A variety of books is best, especially books they are interested in.
Reading Poetry to a child: As above.
Creating stories: Older children in their early years may create their own stories. This can support their ability to organise ideas, verbalise them and give meaning to them as an adult writes on their behalf.
Quality questioning: When they can speak, ask questions which require children to think and respond.
Making notes: Children can make lists with an adult or make notes about their ideas and thoughts. [6][1]

Neurological development is also required for writing in the early years. To be able to write requires working memory and the ability to multitask, for example, holding a mark-making tool and making marks. These are precursors to a child’s future ability to effectively express themselves through writing.

Handwriting is a complex skill involving cognitive planning, visual skills, and the ability to maintain attention. It involves functions such as perception and cognition. These are skills children can learn and need to practice. Each time a child practices, they have the potential to develop new neurological connections. Practising handwriting can strengthen these connections in the different parts of the child’s brain, including the motor cortex responsible for hand movement. [13][15][16][20]

What about cognitive development and writing?

Why are motor skills important?

Learning to write is a complex process that requires a child to possess many skills. One vital skill children will require for writing is physical ability, which involves the development of gross and fine motor skills. [1]

Babies' development of motor skills usually follows a predictable sequence, from gross motor skills to fine motor skills. In the field of education, some emphasis is given to this area of development because of the potential gains in future academic and cognitive development. [16][17]

Before a child can hold a pencil and write, many things need to take place. They need to be strong physically, have balance and be able to coordinate their movements. Research in occupational therapy reveals that a child’s development of fine motor skills is dependent on the establishment of gross motor skills. Before attempting to get a child to write, their gross and fine motor skills must be developing properly. [7][4][15]

Gross Motor Skills: Large-movement skills are linked to posture, core stability, and body control and are foundational for the development of fine motor skills.
Fine Motor Skills: Small, refined movements that are precise, enabling things like use of scissors, buttoning, etc. [20]

An important factor in the development of gross and fine motor skills is coordination and physically developed muscles. Children will need dexterity to work with a mark-making tool; they will need the correct posture and core strength to produce writing in the future. As children develop, their ability to grip should improve from holding tools with a fisted palmar grip to the highly complex tripod grasp between thumb and two fingers.

[4][10][16]

Opportunities for Gross and Fine Motor skills: Applicable by the child’s age and stage

Textured surfaces: Babies and small children can exercise balance and different muscle groups by experiencing different surfaces.
Physical games: Allow for large movement, focus, control, balance and coordination.
Fine Motor Activities: Puzzles, magnet boards, giant threading games, weaving, lock and key boards can encourage the child to exercise concentration and train their grip and ability to move their hands and fingers using different techniques.
Feeding: Children can develop their hand-eye coordination through feeding themselves even without utensils.
Reading: Give children books they can manipulate using flaps and textured elements.

[8][11][12]

Why does the early writer need motivation?

By the time some children reach reception, they have developed a dislike of writing. This can be for many reasons: lack of skill or weakness in motor development; the list goes on. Supporting writing in the early years starts from the beginning and long before formal education.

Babies can be read to, and older children can be celebrated as they begin to give meaning to their marks. To develop into meaningful writers, children need motivation. Children can develop and gain an interest in writing when they are exposed to it regularly, for example in story books, newspapers, magazines and writing in their environment, like a food label. [4][6][2]

Belief in what they can achieve is vital, as they may need support seeing what they could become and guidance on managing their own negative views about failure. Even by school age, children will not always be motivated about writing, but when they are motivated, it makes a difference in their written work [13]

Opportunities to build motivation: Applicable by the child’s age and stage

Reading together: Reading books, stories and highlighting that text has meaning.
Going to the library: Understanding the value of the written word in connection to the child’s interests.
Use of new vocabulary: Helps children to better articulate themselves and later form their ideas on paper.
Modelling: In a digital world, it may be unusual for a child to see an adult write naturally; intentional moments of writing in front of a child can set a positive example.
Support their stamina: Encouragement and knowing when to stop can help children believe they can write and not feel overwhelmed; this can encourage perseverance and self-regulation.

[1][4][16]

How to make sense of early mark-making and meaning?

Professional Insight: Home Setting

“He [A child of about 2 and a half] filled a page of an A4 sheet of paper with small circular shapes. He would do this often; it was so beautiful.”

When it comes to babies and very young children, their earliest mark-making will have a more sensory delivery. They may move their hands in food, paint, handle clay or play dough and begin to make marks. As a child’s mark-making gains intention, they should begin to link meaning to their marks. Parents may not understand their child’s early mark-making and the meaning their child attributes to their efforts. [4]

Early writing can include pictures, symbols and letters. When they are very young, children may reenact what they have seen and mimic writing, making squiggles, small circles, etc. This is them developing early writing and is called emergent writing. It is believed that as children begin to recreate words and symbols in this way, they are acknowledging that there is meaning in the written word. [4]

Young children may give meaning to marks and symbols that do not match letters as adults understand them. But for the child, they have meaning and need to be recognised. [4]

Children may also extend their symbolism into art, movement and music; as they mature in their skills, this may be combined with letters. As children get older, writing can be their way of expressing themselves, reflecting and a means for processing the world. Examples could be poetry, creative writing, songwriting, and diaries. [4][13]

Opportunities for meaningful mark making: Applicable by the child’s age and stage

Sensory play: Water, play dough/clay, and sand are opportunities for children to use their hands to manipulate and make marks, which can create the foundation for intentional mark making.
Outdoor spaces: Talk about signs and words in the environment along with their meaning to emphasise that written words have meaning. Allowing muddy puddles splashing and show them the marks from their splash on the mud. Using sticks to make letters and shapes on the ground. These opportunities are the basis for potential further understanding.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AS A CLASSROOM HERE: The World is a Classroom: Golden Learning Moments We’re Missing | seed early childhood

Drawing: Providing different mark-making tools (chalk, crayons, pencils, etc.) can help children to explore marks and textures.
Transportable mark-making: Notebooks and scrap paper, etc., can help children to understand that writing is contextual and can be different. [1][4][6]

Professional Insight: Nursery Pre-school Class

“A child showed me their mark-making; there were many scribbles which represented members of their family. They subsequently went through and listed family members as they pointed to scribbles. Then they came to a scribble and said something like, "Who's that?!” Then they realised and named another family member. This shows the depth of meaning they gave to their efforts; the question wasn’t “what is that scribble?” but “who?”

What is Emergent writing?

Emergent writing describes a child’s first attempts at writing. Starting around the age of two, children typically begin to imitate writing as discussed above. A slightly different area is emergent literacy. Educational professionals may use the term emergent literacy to describe the skills evident in the development of emerging reading skills. [6][32]

What is the connection between writing and reading?

Writing and reading support each other, but some professionals advise against teaching both writing and reading at the same time. Before a child can read and understand by themselves, they need to have a grasp of communication. According to the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework, language comprehension starts from birth and is a requirement for future writing and reading. Reading books to children from the earliest age can provide an introduction to words they may not hear in everyday conversations and can build their understanding of sentence formation and grammar. Reading is believed to improve older children’s ability to write as a skill; therefore, well-read children should be able to apply different approaches to writing. [13][2].

Opportunities for use of reading for writing skills: Applicable by the child’s age and stage

Reading: Supporting babies to look at pages of interest, touch and point. Allow children to handle books and turn pages to support their physical development; this can help them to understand that text and images carry meaning.
Reading on repeat: Be repetitive; some young children actively seek out repetition. Read their favourite stories regularly. This can support the broadening of their vocabulary and their understanding of sentences.
Reading Range: Reading a variety of literature can encourage interest and build awareness that there are different kinds of writing.

What is interactive writing?

Interactive Writing is a pedagogical approach where the teacher and pupil engage in a back-and-forth active writing task. While evidence of this approach is growing, interactive writing requires more research into the impacts and outcomes. [29][3][30]

Writing and difficulties

Some children will struggle with writing. This can be because they have learning difficulties or disabilities. Difficulties like poor proprioception (body position sense) can lead to an inconsistent grip, which impacts the formation of letters. Many of the difficulties children face in writing are connected to sensory processing issues affecting motor skills.

It is important not to expect early writers to go further than they are capable, as they can become discouraged and demotivated. Sometimes the loss of motivation can lead to challenging behaviours which can further hinder their progress. It can be easy to focus on the lack of or quality of a child’s writing, but addressing the root cause is important. By getting to the cause of difficulties, children can be taught in a way that is tailored to their ability, which may require working with special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and other professionals such as Occupational Therapists (OC). [13][16][20]

If you are concerned about your child, speak to your GP.

Opportunities to support writing difficulties: Applicable by the child’s age and stage

Exercise: Support large gross movements such as jumping, climbing, rolling and also hand-eye coordination games such as ball games to build muscle and support fine motor development.
Strengthening Activities: Play-doh, clay manipulation, squashing soft balls, climbing.
Pencil Grips: Triangular grips can encourage three-finger placement on a pencil/pen; cushion grips can reduce discomfort.
Texture: Using a variety of tools and writing surfaces, paper, concrete, material, etc. can support sensory needs.
Communication: Provide opportunities for conversation with back-and-forth to support the development of current/future wtiting.

[16][20]

Do Left-Handers Struggle More?

From early on, babies will begin to demonstrate a preference for one hand to take objects and feed themselves. Developing a dominant hand is a natural process which the child determines subconsciously. They may give preference to the left hand, which is less common than the right but nonetheless a normal developmental step.

Left-handed children may face struggles that right-handers do not, because the nature of writing in Western culture is across a page from left to right and begins at the top of the page down to the bottom. Therefore, the struggle for left-handers is not their ability, but their need to conform to Western writing formats. For this reason, they may not be able to see what they are writing easily; they may smudge as they write and need to move in unusual ways. [24]

If you are concerned about your child, speak to your GP.

Summary

Starting early with writing is key; that means children will require lots of different opportunities. Speaking to a child is a primary step to their future writing development, coupled with the creation of a culture which values words and the marks a child makes. Encouraging their physical development through different types of large movements and balance can pave the way for fine motor skills and more precise movements. Supporting the child with a writing-friendly environment can support their motivation and cognition.

Early Childhood Development

Authors: Samantha Donnelly BA (Hons) MA

SEED Early Childhood is the Educational blog founded by Samantha Donnelly to bring professional knowledge to you.

Samantha Donnelly is an Early Childhood Practitioner with more than 15 years of experience working with children, specialising in Early Childhood Education. Samantha is the founder of SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog.

References

1 Supporting writing in the early years (2023) https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/Supporting_writing_in_the_early_years.pdf

2 GOV (2022) https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/areas-of-learning/literacy/writing - what-the-eyfs-framework-says

3 EEF (2025) Sharing the pen: Interactive writing in the early years https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/sharing-the-pen-interactive-writing-in-the-early-years

4 Early Writing (2021) https://birthto5matters.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Early-Writing.pdf

5 Reading Eggs (2026) https://readingeggs.co.uk/bing/teachreading-nb/?msclkid=bf59a931164d15a90f05c3415d69f5e1

6 NAEYC (2017) Promoting Preschoolers’ Emergent Writing https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2017/emergent-writing/

7 Surrey County Council (2026) Write with me leaflets - tips for parents of children 0 to 5 to help them write https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/support-and-advice/families/publications/write-with-me-writing-tips-for-parents

8 Surrey County Council (2026) Writing tips 4 years + https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/67345/write-with-me-leaflet-4-years-plus.pdf

9 Surrey County Council (2026) Writing tips 3-4 years https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/67344/write-with-me-leaflet-3-to-4-years.pdf

10 Surrey County Council (2026) Writing tips 2-3 years https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/67343/write-with-me-leaflet-2-to-3-years.pdf

11 Surrey County Council (2026) Writing tips 1-2 years write-with-me-leaflet-1-to-2-years.pdf

12 Surrey County Council (2026) Writing tips 6-12 years write-with-me-leaflet-6-to-12-months.pdf

14 The writing framework (2025) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68bec95444fd43581bda1c86/The_writing_framework_092025.pdf

15 Suggate, S. P., Karle, V. L., Kipfelsberger, T., & Stoeger, H. (2025). Keep the hands in mind: A meta-analysis of correlations between fine motor skills and reading, writing, mathematics, and cognitive development in children and adolescents. Educational Research Review, 49, 100748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2025.100748

16 Learning Success (2026) https://learningsuccess.ai/research-handwriting-development/

17 Karle, V.L., Suggate, S.P., Winter, R. et al. When Fine is Large and Gross is Small: A Meta-Analysis of Links Between Fine and Gross Motor Skills with Academic-Cognitive Skills. Educ Psychol Rev 38, 73 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10161-4

18 Thames Valley and South Central Early Years () Moving to Write: Why Big Movements Matter in Little Learners https://www.strongerpracticehubs.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/docuemnt/30/Moving to Write.pdf

19 Wang, L., & Wang, L. (2024). Relationships between Motor Skills and Academic Achievement in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Children (Basel, Switzerland), 11(3), 336. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11030336

20 National Handwriting Association (2022) https://nha-handwriting.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NHA-Neurodevelopmental-Demands-of-Handwriting-v2-Jan-2022.pdf

21 Kazandjian, N., Harandian, K., Dufour, M. M., Chichinina, E. A., Desmurget, M., & Pagani, L. S. (2025). Tracing the Cognitive–Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent–Toddler Literacy Activities and Subsequent Gross Motor Skills at School Entry. Children, 12(11), 1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111431

22 Dayem, Tayseer & Salem, Elham & Hadidy, Eman. (2015). Correlation between Gross Motor Activities and Hand Writing Skills in Elementary School Children. Trends in Applied Sciences Research. 10. 259-269. 10.3923/tasr.2015.259.269.

23 Cinar, E., Fitzpatrick, C., Almeida, M. L., Camden, C., & Garon-Carrier, G. (2023). Motor Skills are More Strongly Associated to Academic Performance for Girls Than Boys. Canadian Journal of School Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/08295735231173518

24 Peachey, L. (2004). Left-handedness: A Writing Handicap? Visible Language, 38(3).

31 Adolph, K.E. 2008. “Motor/Physical Development: Locomotion.” In Encyclopaedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, 359–73. San Diego, CA: Academic Press

32 Rowe, D.W., & C. Neitzel. 2010. “Interest and Agency in 2- and 3-Year-Olds’ Participation in Emergent Writing.” Reading Research Quarterly 45 (2): 169–95.

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