Stage 3: Lines and Patterns (2 1/2 years to
3 1/2 years)
Children now understand that writing is made up of lines, curves, and repeated
patterns. They try to imitate this in their own writing. So while
they may not write actual letters, you may see components of letters in their
drawing. These might include lines, dots and curves. This is an
exciting time as your toddler realizes that his drawing conveys meaning!
For example, he may write something down and then tell you what word it
says. This is an important step toward reading and writing.
Stage 4: Pictures of Objects or People (3 years to 5
years)
Many adults think of “pictures” as a picture of something. This ability
to hold an image in your mind and then represent it on the page is a thinking
skill that takes some time to develop. At first, children name their
unplanned creations. This means that they finish the picture and then
label their masterpiece with the names of people, animals, or objects they are
familiar with. This changes over time.
Soon you will see your child clearly planning prior to
drawing what he will create. You will also see more detail in the
pictures, more control in the way your child handles the crayon or marker, and
the use of more colors. What else to be on the lookout for?
Children’s first pictures often build off circles. So, you may see a
sun—an irregular circle, with lots of stick “rays” shooting out—or a person
(usually a circle with roughly recognizable human features).
Once your child has begun to purposefully draw images, she
has mastered symbolic thinking. This important milestone in thinking
skills means that your child understands that lines on paper can be a symbol of
something else, like a house, a cat or a person. At this stage, your
child also begins to understand the difference between pictures and
writing. So you may see him draw a picture and then scribble some
"words" underneath to describe what he has drawn or to tell a
story. When your child is able to share his story with you, he will be
motivated to "author" more and more work as he grows.
And…later:
Stage 5: Letter and Word Practice (3 to 5 years)
Children have had experience with letters and print for several years now and
are beginning to use letters in their own writing. Usually children start
by experimenting with the letters in their own names, as these are most
familiar to them. They also make “pretend letters” by copying familiar
letter shapes, and will often assume that their created letter must be real
because it looks like other letters they have seen (Robertson, 2007).
During this time, children also begin to understand that some
words are made of symbols that are shorter and some words are made of
symbols that are longer. As a result, their scribbles change.
Rather than one long string of letters or letter-like shapes, your child's
writing now has short and long patterns that look like words or
sentences. While these letters and words are probably not
technically correct, it does not matter. This exciting milestone means
that your child is beginning to understand that text and print have meaning.
Taken from Zero to Three
