Writing Milestones: First Graders

First graders use "story language" in their own writing. They may use phrases such as "Once upon a time" and "happily ever after." They may introduce dialogue with phrases like "The wolf cried." This shows that first graders already make connections between reading and writing. In addition to mimicking story language, many first graders enjoy using a favorite book character in their own writing. They may invent new tales about My Father's Dragon or create more adventures for Arthur.

• Find a way to include writing in your first grader's routines. Make a calendar on which he can record special events such as holidays, birthdays, and play dates with friends. You can also ask your child for help as you write the grocery list and work together to write down a story about real or imaginary events. Having your first grader write "thank you" cards for birthday presents or make labels for his shell collection are other great ways to encourage writing. When you make writing a part of each day, you help him to practice and become a better writer.

• Help your child keep a journal or diary to write down thoughts and feelings. Most first graders feel proud of their writing ability and like to have a special notebook or diary in which to write. You might ask your child to turn an inexpensive spiral notebook into a diary by decorating its cover. Larger paper works better for first graders, as children tend to write big until they gain better control of the small muscles in their hands. Keeping a journal encourages your child to write about the things he knows best: his own experiences.

• Encourage your child to write stories instead of focusing on correct spelling or punctuation. Parents can help young writers develop by emphasizing the fact that writing is a way to tell stories and share feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Help your child not to focus on using the correct punctuation or spelling words the correct way. Instead, encourage "invented spelling," sounding out words and writing words the way they sound. You might also make a one-page "dictionary" of words your child uses often in her writing so that she can refer to this list when she wants to spell a word.

• Don't stop your child from writing about topics or events more than once. Repeated stories about a particular topic or character are common at this age. Writing about one topic over and over again will help your child learn to perfect a particular story structure, style of writing, and the spellings of certain words. Help your child compile his work into a "chapter book" or into a series of little books.

• Make a collection of your child's writing to instill a sense of pride. Whether you collect your child's writing in a simple box or in a scrapbook, you will enjoy looking at this collection in years to come. You will be able to see the enormous growth your child makes in a relatively short period of time.

Copyright 2002-2007 Public Broadcasting Service. Reprinted from www.pbsparents.org with persmission of the Public Broadcasting Service.

For other reading and language articles, please see http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/