How Toddlers Learn to Write

Although most children don't learn to formally write words until kindergarten or later, the foundations for writing appear early in life.  Toddlers vary tremendously in how and when they learn to write. While some can draw at age two and write their names by age three, others are just beginning to write letters when they enter kindergarten.

Although there are plenty of exceptions, here's a basic timeline for how toddlers begin to learn to write. If your toddler's skills seem to be far outside the typical range, get in touch with his pediatrician to rule out an underlying problem.

 Most toddlers begin drawing at age one.

Between your baby's first birthday and eighteen months of age, your toddler is likely to begin "drawing" by dragging a crayon or marker around on a piece of paper. Per the advice of BabyCenter, I checked with her pediatrician when she wasn't scribbling yet at 16 months. The doctor determined that she was doing fine, and she caught up on this milestone by eighteen months. By the time your toddler is about a year and a half old, she should be scribbling with confidence.

Toddlers start "writing" with slight precision before age two.

Some time between eighteen months and your baby's second birthday, her scribbles will start taking distinct forms -- circles, lines, crosses, and so on. Although these may be very hard to identify at this stage, these early shapes and forms are the beginnings of actual writing. Practice drawing lines and circles with your toddler by demonstrating how to form these shapes. Don't sweat it if you aren't seeing real shapes yet; scribbling is more important in this stage than actual discernable images.

Writing looks more realistic and shaped by two and a half years.

A two-and-a-half-year-old may be able to write a few letters -- most likely O, V, or T. Your toddler's pictures and cards to you may have oddly letter-like forms, such as a string of up-and-down "letters" saying "WWMWWWWNNNM." Very few toddlers at this age might begin writing the first one or two letters of their names, but your child is still perfectly normal if she hasn't mastered this art yet.

Toddlers can "write" a few letters or words at age three. At or around your toddler's third birthday, she'll learn how to grip a pencil in a steady tripod position, nestled between her index finger, middle finger and thumb. My own daughter began to write a few words at this age, including her name, the word "Mama," and the words "love" and "dino[saur]". Most toddlers can scribble a vague impression of their first names some time before three-and-a-half, but many do not.

 Get professional help if you're concerned. As always, it's best to check in with your pediatrician if you're worried about your toddler's development of writing skills. If your toddler can't scribble at all by 16-18 months, draw a circle by 30 months, and write at least two letters by her third birthday, she may benefit from an expert evaluation. If her development of fine motor skills is significantly lagging, her pediatrician may refer her to an occupational therapist, who facilitates the development of fine motor skills and early writing skills.