About this worksheet
A drawing turns into writing at the moment a child can say what it is about and an adult writes those words down where the child can see it happen. That single act does more for early composition than any amount of letter practice, because it shows that speech can be captured. Preschoolers often hold a whole story in mind and answer a broad question with nothing at all. Narrow questions get much further: who is here, what are they doing, where are they. On this page the child looks at a picture, tells one idea about it, decides what their own version would be mainly about, draws it, and adds a detail. Write down what is said in the child's own words, including the ungrammatical parts, and read it back pointing at each word. Resist finishing the sentence for them. A pause is usually a child assembling something, and the version they produce themselves is the one they will want to read again.
What your child will learn
- Say who or what is in a picture and what is happening
- Decide what your own drawing is mainly about
- Add one detail that helps someone else understand it
- Watch an adult turn your spoken words into print
Worked example
Looking at the child with the umbrella, say who is here and what they do: the girl opens the umbrella. An adult writes those five words under the drawing while the child watches.
Common mistake
Naming one object and stopping, without saying what it is doing or what is happening to it.
Helpful hint
Answer three small questions: who or what, doing what, and where.
Worksheet 1