Elementary Writing
Step by Step
In this post, you will find some of the ways we have encouraged elementary writing in our homeschool along with the steps that we take to get there! From handwriting letters to words, from words to sentences, from sentences to paragraphs, from paragraphs to papers, let’s take a look at elementary writing step by step!
What does elementary writing look like? Well, when your child starts out, their writing probably looks like gibberish. With time and effort, it can look remarkably legible! Putting kidding aside, writing is a process. There’s a reason why there is a curriculum called, “Writing Without Tears.” Learning to write can be frustrating for teacher and student, but with time and patience, the writing your child produces can be pretty impressive.
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ELEMENTARY WRITING STEPS
Step 1: Formation of Letters & Numbers
Informal Introduction
When learning basic letter and number formation, I usually start with a number of hands-on activities that include constructing letters with construction paper pieces, forming letters with Play-Doh, and practicing letter writing using our ABC 4-Square organizers. Students’ hands in preschool are not fully formed yet to hold a pencil correctly. Try to work on building the muscles in their hands with fine motor activities.
Formal Introduction
This is an area where I have used writing workbooks from the Dollar Tree that assist in manuscript. My kids like them because they are decorated with animated characters. I use the manuscript tablet for writing practice. This is an appropriate time to show your student how to hold their pencil correctly. There is an informational article about this here. Truth be told, it took some of my kids a long time to hold their pencil correctly.
There are tons of free alphabet and number printables online that you can use with your child to perfect their writing. Softschools.com offers a wide variety for you to choose from. Print out what you want to use and have them ready to go when the time is right!
Personally, once I decide to use a resource, I make a point to print everything out at once and then put it in a folder. One of the best pieces of advice I received years ago is to plan and prepare. It is so nice when school runs smoothly. You can purchase a writing tablet here or try a letter writing workbook.
Step 2: Building Words
After learning to write letters, students begin the journey of building words. Writing words goes hand in hand with their ability to sound out words and memorize sight words. We do a lot of different activities to help kids get to this point. I like to start building words using LEGOs, which you can read more about in our Learning with LEGOs post. A helpful worksheet can be found in the Read-Build-Write printables, which you can grab here. Another place to start is with Short Vowel Activities & Printables. This is also a great time to introduce word families using our Word Family House Worksheet.
Step 3: Building Sentences
It won’t take long before your child will be ready to start building sentences. One thing that students seem to enjoy is MadLibs. So, I use a set of Simple Sentences Sheets that have a similar concept. Another method to teach how words build sentences are fill-in-the-blank activity sheets. My kids love our set of Word Family Sentence Worksheets and our Sight Word Fill-in-the-Blanks Worksheets. See what might work for you and yours!
Step 4: Elementary Writing Basics
As students’ progress, start encouraging them to write 1-3 sentences using Draw & Write Sheets or Journal Writing. We offer different themed sets of Draw & Write sheets that crossover into social studies, science, and Bible learning. Besides our printable Draw & Write sheets, you can purchase a similar composition book with space at the top of the page to draw with lines on the bottom half of the page. This journal is great for those looking to create a keepsake book of creative writing.
Elementary Writing Prompts
In years past, we have used the set of writing/language prompts below to encourage writing or speech development. There is a total of 72 writing prompts. I created these cards as a fun way to get my kindergarten student to write 2-3 sentence papers. These prompts help to build your child’s vocabulary. It is fun to print them off, cut them up, and then put them in a jar for your child to pull from. Great way to pick a quick writing prompt when you are stuck!
Step 5: Building Paragraphs
As your student gains confidence writing, continue to challenge their abilities with new goals. Move from writing random sentences to writing an organized paragraph that contains details and facts. It sounds easy enough… and it can be. Use these tips, methods, and strategies to help your student advance in writing.
Hamburger Paragraph Printables
Teaching your child how to write a paragraph can become frustrating if you do not have a specific method to follow. The Hamburger model has always been my go-to when it is time to teach writing a paragraph. The classic set-up to create a 5-sentence paragraph is to have a topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. To learn more about the Hamburger model and how we teach ours to write paragraphs, check out our Hamburger Paragraph Printables!
Blank Draw & Write Sheets
As your student progresses, challenge them to write their paragraphs using our Draw & Write sheets. Our BLANK Draw & Write sheets are perfect for the student that grows in their writing using this method. As you can see, the Draw & Write sheets advance as your student does. As your student’s writing improves, you may challenge them with one of our Book Report Sheets.
Book Reports
Advance your students writing with these printable book reports. These free book reports are usually what we advance to next after working with different sets of Draw & Write sheets. I allow my student to pick the one that they prefer. Check them out here!
Step 6: Building 5 Paragraph Essays
Our last step in elementary writing is learning how to write an essay. Once your student has mastered writing paragraphs, introduce them to writing a 5-paragraph essay. We usually tackle this writing task when we are completing a country research project. Later we work on a biography. My students have used these printables too when completing their Planet Research Projects. When writing a 5-paragraph essay, I like to use these free 5-Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizers. These help students work through the research they have collected to write descriptive and organized papers.
Additional Thoughts...
Writing comes easier to some than others. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Whether writing is your child’s strong suit or Achilles heel, try to provide writing opportunities that seem fun and not like school. Writing letters or cards to others has always been a successful way to get my kids to practice writing without having to do much encouragement. Instead of focusing on what they are supposed to finish, they are focused on writing kind words to a friend or loved one. Happy writing!
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