Children working withing the 30-50 months developmental age band, sometimes give meaning to marks as they draw and paint. They also ascribe meanings to marks that they see in different places.
To support children adults can notice and encourage the marks children make and the meanings that they give to them, such as when a child covers a whole piece of paper and says, “I’m writing”. Practitioners can also support children in recognizing and writing their own names. Break down the sounds and individual letters to encourage a phonetic understanding they can apply to other words that have special meaning to them. Make books with children of the activities they have been doing, using photographs of them as illustrations.
Across the areas in your setting, write down things children say to support their developing understanding that what they say can be written down and then read and understood by someone else. Encourage parents to do this as well, by supporting their understanding of children's development. Adults could model writing for a purpose, e.g. a shopping list, message for parents, or reminder for ourselves. Have templates available to support children's role play. Practitioners could model writing poems and short stories, writing down ideas suggested by the children. Provide activities during which children will experiment with writing, for example, leaving a message. Include opportunities for writing during role-play and other activities. Encourage the children to use their phonic knowledge when writing.
Please find below examples of childrens' work which we have moderated as 30-50 months developing.
