Writing to express ideas
In Kindergarten many children developmentally are scribbling or writing random letters on a page. They begin by drawing pictures to communicate ideas. This step in writing is crucial because you begin to see how much time a child is willing to put into adding details to their message, in this case drawing. If a student can draw a picture to communicate their ideas or experiences they are writing. If a student is missing parts of their drawing it is important to spend time talking about things to add. You can ask questions like where is he standing? What is the temperature like? Should he wear a swimming suit or a baseball uniform? Who is with you? What does it smell like? Using the 5 senses is an excellent way for you to encourage more detailed information from your child.
When you begin to see your child writing understand they are learning to write using the sounds or phonetically. The following is an example of what a child may write for the sentence "I see a horse."
I c a hr
or
Isah
Celebrate these sentences with your child because they are a huge accomplishment and step in the right direction.