Your child's early attempts at writing certainly won't look much like words and sentences, but his scribbles, lines, and drawings are all helping him get ready to learn his ABCs -- and perhaps someday produce the next Great Novel.
When it develops
Most children are able to grasp a crayon and shove it around on a piece of paper when they're about 12 or 13 months old. From then until sometime between their second and fifth birthdays, children will gradually get better and better at writing and drawing until they're able to put a few letters down on paper and, eventually, spell their own name.
How it develops
Over the last several months of his first year, your baby's fine motor skills will improve steadily, which will help him get ready to grab a crayon. At 12 or 13 months, some toddlers are already able to scribble; if yours needs a few more weeks, that's fine too.
Most 16-month-olds will have mastered scribbling, no doubt producing a gallery's worth of masterpieces for the refrigerator. After that, your child will gradually start moving on to bigger and better things, including colouring and painting (artistic play) at about 29 or 30 months and being able to draw a vertical line by his third birthday.
By the time he's three, your child will be able to hold a pencil in writing position. Some preschoolers will be able to make a few letters -- or squiggles that look an awful lot like letters -- and a few will even figure out how to write their own name before they begin school, especially if they've been learning the alphabet at playgroup or nursery. Many don't, though, and that's okay. Don't feel pressured to make your child learn to write before he's ready; wait until he's really interested and excited about it.
What's next
As preschoolers get more adept at using crayons and pencils, they'll start making more elaborate and accurate drawings. Between his second and fifth birthdays, your child will learn to make horizontal lines, to copy a circle and a square, and to draw people. Once he starts school, he'll soon learn to read and write.
Your role
As with any of your child's new skills, your job is to provide encouragement and support -- and, in this case, supplies. Starting as early as your baby's first birthday, be sure to have crayons and paper on hand for when he starts showing an interest in scribbling. (Skip pens and pencils until he's older -- they're much sharper than crayons and could hurt your toddler were he to fall on them or accidentally poke himself in the face). Let him practise scribbling as often as he likes, but take breaks if he gets frustrated.
Teach your child to limit his artistic endeavours to the piece of paper in front of him, although no matter how many times you tell him not to, he's bound to find the wallpaper (or the floor, or your brand-new paperback) irresistible. So be prepared to clean up after him a few times; to that end, invest in washable crayons. Try not to let him eat his supplies, although getting a little wax crayon in his system at some point is practically inevitable -- and won't do any lasting harm.
When it comes to writing actual letters, the most important thing you can do is let your child learn at his own pace. Preschoolers who are forced to read and write before they're ready can do it and will often seem to have an edge over their classmates. But studies have found that they lose that advantage as they get older and realise they can't apply the same memorising techniques they used for reading and writing to more complex learning.
Finally, be sure to talk to and read to your child as much as possible. The more language he hears, the more his brain will grow and develop, which will benefit all of his communication skills -- including writing -- in the long run.
When to be concerned
Babies develop skills differently, some more quickly than others, but if your child hasn't started scribbling by the time he's about 15 or 16 months old, bring it up the next time you see the doctor or health visitor. Keep in mind that children who were born prematurely may reach this and other milestones later than their peers.
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