Writing Practice — Drawing Makes it Fun!
Motivate children to practice handwriting or to write sentences and paragraphs by integrating drawing instruction into your curriculum. It isn't hard to teach basic writing skills — the challenge is motivating children to practice carefully and regularly.
- Drawing is a fun hands-on activity.
- Drawing a picture inspires creativity and is a great writing or speaking prompt.
- Drawing is a fundamental form of communication.
Adapt the Lesson
Draw Write Now lessons are easily adapted.
Speech — Talk About the Drawing
Talk with a child about their drawing. A drawing may begin a conversation with a quiet child. With a child who is talkative, a description of their drawing can be used to help focus their verbal skills. Prompt the conversation with questions, such as, Where is the bird flying? What is the boy doing? Is it a hot day or a cold day?
Demonstrate the relationship between speech and writing. Sit beside the child and ask them to tell you about their drawing. Write their story, then read the story back to the child. Point to each word as you read.
Letter Formation — Write the Letter
Show the children how to correctly form and pronounce the letter.
Words — Write the Word
Show the children how to correctly form and pronounce each letter in a word. Help them correctly space the letters.
Sentences — Write Short Sentences
Demonstrate how to write a short sentence, such as "Hens lay eggs.", for the child before they write the sentence. Highlight the basic parts of a sentence:
- The first letter of the first word in a sentence is a capital letter.
- Spaces separate words.
- A period is at the end of the sentence.
As the children become more comfortable with writing, have them practice by copying two to four sentences. The Draw Write Now lessons have four short sentences. Change the sentence so that they are appropriate to the child's skill level, but keep the sentences short and fairly simple.
Self-Editing — For the Child Who Loves to Write
Does the child love to write, but spelling and paragraph structure needs improvement? After the child writes about their drawing, have them select several sentences from the story, then correct any spelling or grammar errors in those sentences. The corrected sentences may be used for handwriting practice.
Writing Prompt
Drawing instruction is an excellent pre-writing activity that engages the children and augments their work. Have the child copy the sentences shown in the Draw Write Now lesson with you. Work for success, but push them a bit. If you know they can write one sentence, have them write one sentence plus one more short sentence. Lesson to lesson, increase the amount of writing. If they balk, use the coloring time as an incentive — remind them that you'll bring out the crayons (or color pencils, watercolors, etc.) after the sentences are finished.
Composition — Write a Story About Your Drawing
The background drawings that the children add can be very interesting! As the child composes the story, allow them to write quickly to get their ideas on paper. This is not a time to stress careful handwriting!
Grammar Exercise
After drawing a picture, provide the children with another sheet of paper and ask them to write all the nouns in their drawing. Another time, have them write all the verbs or all the adjectives.
Write a Paragraph or Report
Encourage independent research and study. Have the child write a paragraph or more about the subject they have just drawn. Help the children learn how to gather information from sources like encyclopedias, the Internet or library.
