Importance of a Writing Center in Preschool

In a preschool writing center, children are provided with many tools to encourage the development of many skills.  The importance of a writing center in preschool (or having writing materials available every day) and its impact on preschool growth and development should not be underestimated!

The activities provided in such an area are not necessarily those that result in the printing word!  They can, and SHOULD, help develop pre-writing skills and more. 

In a preschool writing center preschoolers will:

• Develop pre-writing and drawing skills by using a wide variety of tools
  
• Use increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, grammar and syntax in conversations and storytelling by communicating their ideas through drawing and through print
• Notice and discriminate sounds of language (rhyme, alliteration, etc.) and that letters have distinct sounds associated with them (such as beginning and/or ending sounds)
• Recognize and identify letters of the alphabet in print, environment and/or own name.
• Demonstrate increased emergent writing skills such as random marks, controlled scribbles, basic shapes, letter-like marks or letters to represent words, stories, ideas, experiences or objects.
• Associate print with reading.
  
• Build grasp and release skills, scissor skills and ability to use thumb//forefinger in pincer grasp by using a variety of tools and materials
• Practice left to right progression in reading.
• Develop eye-hand coordination

Materials For A Writing Center In Preschool

Providing writing materials and tools as well as the time to explore those tools are the key to children developing the skills listed above.

Traditional tools and materials are great! So are some non-traditional materials!

When choosing materials for your writing center in preschool, step outside the box and consider items beyond pens, pencils and markers!

Here are some of my favorite tools and materials!

Traditional Materials for a Writing Center in Preschool

You’ll want a wide variety of traditional materials and mediums including:

• pencils

• colored pencils
• wide markers
• thin markers
• wide crayons
• thin crayons
• pens

A few other suggestions (thank you Radhia for these ideas!) are:

• sand trays
• sticks (great for forming letters with)
• small chalk/blackboards with chalk and wiping erasers/dusters

Less Traditional Materials for Your Writing Center

These are less traditional materials but those that encourage children to use writing center tools in fun ways.

To help develop their small muscle skills provide these materials in your preschool writing center:

Choose the materials to be used at your preschool writing center based on the preschool writing activities and concepts you are working on with your children or the Theme you are working on (Dinosaurs, etc.).

For example, with a dinosaur theme, add dinosaur stamps, stencils, pictures, etc.

For themed ideas for your writing center, CLICK HERE to go to the Themes Page of this website! Choose your theme and then scroll down to the preschool Writing Activities section within that theme!

For some ideas on preschool writing activities, check out this page!

Go to Preschool Plan It's HOME Page

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