Emergent Writing Milestones By the end of two years:

Children will...

• Scribble spontaneously.
• Scribble and draw on the same page.
• Use the terms “writing” and “drawing” interchangeably.
• Choose different instruments and colors with which to write and draw.

By the end of three years:

Children will...

• Hold a pencil in the correct position for writing.
• Make vertical, horizontal, and circular strokes with a pencil or crayon.

By the end of four years:

Children will...

• Copy simple shapes.
• Draw a person with 2-4 body parts.
• Draw circles and squares.
• Begin to copy some capital letters.

Between the end of the third and the end of the fourth year:

Children will...

• Experiment with a growing variety of writing tools.
• Use drawings to stand for writing (usually during dramatic play).
• Understand the difference between writing and drawing.
• Assign messages to their writing and drawings.
• Understand that print carries a message.
• Begin to understand the left to right directionality.

Between the end of the fourth year and the end of the fifth year:

Children will...

• Understand that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes.
• Represent their experiences and stories through drawings and dictation.
• Copy or write familiar words, such as their own name.

***These milestones are based upon the American Academy of Pediatrics Developmental Milestones.