July 2026 Blog-Playful Writing

Hello July! Happy 250th BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Wow, we are half way through the year and our country celebrated a huge milestone. The July fourth celebrations, for me, has always been personal as that was my Dad's birthday. Our neighborhood had a fireworks show at the beach but we celebrated all afternoon with a barbecue where family, friends and neighbors would stop by to wish my Dad a happy birthday and enjoy a hot dog, hamburger, salads, corn on the cob and a cold beverage then after we would have birthday cake with a few sparklers on top.

The kids all played in the street in groups and, if it were truly hot, we would go to the beach.

All of these play experiences gave us stories to share and better yet, to write about. Using the resources we had available, we played and had ideas for stories through the interaction we were dealt. Let's look at how games, toys and pretend play are the writing tools we need to write good stories.

I. WRITING It is important for children to learn how to use "play" when writing stories. The stories develop more authentically when written from a perspective of common familiarity which is play. The use of games like sensory play with play-doh, blocks, dress up clothes or small toy box items can be wonderful resources for writing even using stuffed animals in a puppet show to act out the scenes before the actual writing takes place. Children love role play; it helps them learn to be someone else, like actors learning their lines from a script. It helps to set off a creative blank page that can build with additional and more richer stories over time.

Let's take a look at some possibilities for stories using play. Children love using their imaginations and we've seen in previous blog posts how they use their imaginations to create meaningful memories in the things they love. Most toy boxes have a series of "little people" or figures of animals, people and town type objects like houses, farms, etc for children to play and model family life. Have your child take as many of those figures and create a scene that becomes a story before putting pencil to paper. It can be a silly scene or a serious one depending on your child's imagination. Once they've set the scene, ask your child to write down the main characters and an introduction to the basic story. You can help transcribe if your child is anxious about that task. Each action the characters make becomes the dialogue in their story. So the next time your child says they have no idea what to write about, break out the toy box, including any of those "happy meal" figures we've all collected over time. Their story might even become good enough to write a children's book!

Another fun and creative way to help children write stories through play is using old magazines and some poster board and glue. Go through some old magazines you've been saving for the recycle bin and have your child cut out pictures of a favorite theme; cooking, vacations, clothing, etc and use them to brainstorm a story using different photos that can integrate into their story.

Instead of a printable this month, I am suggesting to make your own set of "silly story starter cards" using blank index cards cut into the size of playing cards. The back can be designed any way you prefer, and the front card will have a prompt, one for each card you make up and after you have fifty two cards with different story starters, you can use these indefinitely to create a new story over and over. Some examples of silly story starters are:

"You come home from school to find a giant box with your name on it. When you open it, you saw..."

"I was in the garage looking for my tire pump when I saw a box marked: DO NOT OPEN" I was too curious so I opened it and I couldn't believe it when..."

"I was with a friend walking home from school and I heard music coming from the sewer in the street. As I leaned over to listen, a big ..."

Your child can illustrate as many cards as they want to match the written prompt on the other side. This is a fun way for practicing using writing with play to create stories that will entertain and create life long thinkers!

II - EDUCATION The Role of Play in Literacy Development

There is something so charming and adorable when a child uses play as they engage in dialogue with their toys. For example, how many of us remember using a banana as a telephone to make a child laugh when playing?

Symbols that are used to represent the actual item or sound, word, etc is a form of reading. Children learn that substituting a wooden block for a road when playing with cars shows symbolic thinking. Using abstract objects to intergrate into play, builds skills in vocabulary and comprehension. When children use imaginative play, they often use rich vocabulary to engage in roles although they may not be able to write the way they talk, the language they communicate expands their understanding therefore has more meaning.

When it comes to supporting reading and writing, children learn phonemic awareness as they clap, do rhymes and listen to stories that engages them in words, letters and sounds. Once they can decode the sounds and associate the visual, they develop the memory skill to read.

Other important play-based activities for writing can be using play-doh, molding clay, finger paints, sand play and shaving cream projects as they strengthen hand movements needed to form letters using pencil techniques. Motor skills area very important in child development. When playing games that require hand and finger movement, such as in spinning a wheel, pushing on a clicker, as in the game TROUBLE, or the game OPERATION which uses plastic tweezers to grip body parts that are carefully placed in the "body cavity" of the illustrated person getting an Operation, it builds the ability to perform several tasks at once and prompts the player to be specific and accurate in the movement.

The more play-based activities a child engages in, the better they will explore and gain knowledge through hands-on interaction and improve their cognition as they learn to navigate the world around them. [See more information from the National Association for the Education of Young Children - NAEYC]

During the time I taught preschool, I noticed many students who wanted to learn to write early on. Honestly, it was mostly the girls, they loved to ask for blank paper and pencil to "pretend" writing a letter, or when playing in the kitchen area, they pretended to be a waitress and write down orders, etc. I would sit with several of them and play along and observe the techniques and conversations. I always had writing material available for students who wanted to work on their writing. Activities during circle time, writing daily notes, filling in Calendar and Schedules and asking students to play on the wipe off board during play time, was part of the daily routine. Any exposure they had in seeing how writing words, punctuation and symbols integrated in their day helped to bring an awareness to literacy through play.

III. PARENTING Letting Writing Be Messy and Fun; Reducing pressure and comparison.

Sometimes being a parent who spends time with their children on writing, whether it's homework or practice, it can be frustrating if their motor skills are not up to par. Sensory play and gross motor activities like tracing letters and shapes in a tray of shaving cream (or whipped cream for more fun as an edible treat) or using play-doh and making shapes helps strengthen and develop movement. Using the whole body on gross motor activities is fun when getting sidewalk chalk in the driveway for some family fun.

It is sometimes difficult to not want to correct your child's process if they have frustrations working in fine motor activities. Tracing letters, numbers and words helps them copy and form the correct position and with practice they can do it on their own. The important thing is to focus on writing not perfection. When children are comfortable with how they use tools to help them write, their writing is less anxious and focuses on story telling.

One thing that some teachers use to get kids writing is using fancy or colorful gel pens and markers that parent can buy and use at home. Sometimes you have to change the motivation in order to improve the outcome!

When it comes to outcomes, it's important for children to not feel the need to compare their work to that of others, whether it's a classmate or even a sibling. Everyone works at different paces. They should be mindful of their own progress, putting the onus of comparison on their previous work, not the work of others.

No one wants to work under stressful situations least of all a youngster who is learning and needs time to develop their own style and routine. Being supportive and available for daily check-ins can make all the difference in their confidence and the results will be positive.

A fun family activity in the "play to spark better stories" is to write the silliest story possible as a family and allow your child[ren] to take the lead! Don't worry about mistakes, get messy and have fun!

That's all for this month, next month we'll talk about Routines that Support Creativity! Stay Cool and have fun!