Emergent writing
![]() | Jemima's story Using writing-like wavy lines, Jemima (4 years, 6 months) and explained that her story was about "a little kitten with a belly-button".
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Ellie-May writing names Ellie-May (3 years, 11 months) gestured to her marks, saying, "My mummy". Then pointing to the marks at the top of the paper, explained, "My name". Ellie-May understands that marks can be used for writing, and "mummy" and her own name were very important to her. She had perhaps picked up on the nursery's convention of writing a name at the top of a child's drawing or writing.
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![]() | Shaheim: Clouds, circles, numbers and a track" Shaheim (3 years, 8 months) drew a wavy-edged shape, adding the letters 'S', 'G' and 'Z' and some smaller shapes inside it. Beneath it he drew a line across the width of the page. "Clouds, circles, numbers and a track", he announced.Then pointing to the Z, explained " Look! A 'Z' ". Shaheim appeared to have thought the appearance of his signs and symbols.For young children, numerals and letters will look very similar.
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Tiyanni's letter to her mum Tiyanni (3 years, 10 months) decided to write a letter to her mum. She used small, separate shapes as letter-like signs, without explaining what she intended her writing to say.
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Signs for 'shop open' and 'Shop closed' Shereen (4 years, 3 months) was playing shops, and decided to write a "Shop Open" sign, and another saying,"Shop Closed".
Note: Compare Shereen's sign for "shop closed", to Daniel's.
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Holly - 'Lay Hay Sun' Holly's (4 years, 1 month) Vietnamese name is 'Lay Hay Sun' and her home language is Cantonese. Here she has represented her name twice, first as a small, zigzag writing- like line (in red at the top), and then on the right in Cantonese characters.
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Zakiyah-Firdaus's emergent Arabic writing Zakiyah-Firdaus (3 years, 10 months) wrote in emergent Arabic. To her mother's surprise she had absorbed a great deal about written Arabic at home from watching her brother do his Arabic homework, including the right- to-left orientation of Arabic characters. Her mother confirmed that the first two lines Zakiyah-Firdaus had written are from the Arabic alphabet, and that further down she had written the word "Allah" in Arabic.
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Auden writing in Sri Lankan and English Auden's (4 years and 4 months) first language is English and his mother comes from Sri Lanka, He showed his teacher Mrs Sutcliffe that he'd written her name in Sri Lankan, and below it he explained, "proper name" (referring to the written English.) | ![]() |
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Jemima's story Using writing-like wavy lines, Jemima (4 years, 6 months) and explained that her story was about "a little kitten with a belly-button".
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"The dinosaurs went home to have their tea..." Elise's (3 years, 8 months) mum was working in the local shop and gave her daughter a til receipt to play with. Elise wrote her name several times in the spaces on the receipt, recounting a story about dinosaurs as she did so. The dinosaurs in her story had a few fights, then Elise 'read', "The dinosaurs went home to have their tea, the end!". She appeared to have drawn other personal experiences of listening to stories that are resolved with a happy ending.
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![]() | Callum's letter Callum read his typed message: "To Amy. You love me from Callum". |
"Please Easter Bunny ..." Alex read the letter he had typed: "Please Easter Bunny, Can you bring me some Easter eggs. Love Alex"
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Alex's letter his penpal Alex's (4 years, 8 months) teacher had arranged for her class to write to children of the same age in another school. Alex read his letter: "Hello! I want you to write to me. I'd like that. School's exciting - you can do typing and we've got paper clips. I made an aeroplane today and a puppet - two puppets! I made a sandwich with pocket-money bread! Love from Alex" Note: 'Pocket-money bread' was Alex's term for Pitta bread, suggesting to him a purse into which you can put something.
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"Droids, clones and Luke Skywalker." Damian (4 years, 9 months) has used a range of letter- and numeral-like signs that are familiar to him. He recounted his story: "The droids were shooting the clones, and the clones were shooting the droids. The clones live with Luke Skywalker and Ob 1". | |
![]() | Lydia enjoys school Lydia wrote a letter to her teacher.
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