Reading and writing are often taught as separate subjects, but children use many of the same understandings for both.

When children read, they look at print and work toward meaning.

When they write, they begin with an idea and work toward print.

That makes writing a powerful way to reinforce reading instruction.

Writing gives children another opportunity to think about the sounds in words, connect those sounds with letters and spelling patterns, build words, organize ideas, and experience how print communicates meaning.

For some children, especially those who learn best when they can actively participate in a lesson, writing can help make reading more concrete.

Reading and Writing Work in Both Directions

Think about what happens when a child reads a sentence.

The child sees:

letters and words → sounds and spoken language → meaning

Writing moves in the opposite direction.

The child begins with:

meaning → spoken language → sounds → letters and words

The two processes reinforce each other.

When children move back and forth between reading and writing, they aren't simply practicing handwriting or composing sentences. They're strengthening their understanding of how spoken and written language connect.

Start With Meaning

One of Sarah's favorite approaches was to begin with something meaningful to the child.

For example, suppose the word is:

airplane

Ask the child:

“What do you think about when you hear the word airplane?”

Perhaps the child remembers flying to visit Grandma. Maybe they picture an airplane taking off, looking through an airplane window, or watching planes at an airport.

Let the child draw it.

Then talk about the picture.

What is happening?

Who is there?

Where is the airplane going?

What did you see from the window?

Now help the child put some of those ideas into words.

A child might write:

The airplane went up into the clouds.

Or:

I flew on an airplane to see Grandma.

The drawing isn't the reading lesson by itself. It provides a meaningful starting point from which the child can move into spoken and written language.

Move From Drawing to Writing

For a child who finds a blank sheet of writing paper intimidating, drawing can provide an accessible first step.

Try this sequence:

1. Draw something meaningful.
2. Talk about the drawing.
3. Choose something to say about it.
4. Say the sentence aloud.
5. Write the sentence.
6. Read the sentence back.

Now the child has moved from an idea to a picture, from a picture to spoken language, and from spoken language to print.

And then something important happens:

The child reads what they wrote.

That brings the process full circle.

Let Children Hear the Sounds They Need to Write

Writing also gives children a reason to use their phonemic-awareness and phonics skills.

Suppose a child wants to write ship.

Instead of immediately spelling the word for them, help the child listen.

“Say ship slowly. What sounds do you hear?”

The child can segment the word:

/sh/ /ĭ/ /p/

Then connect those sounds with their spellings:

SH – I – P

The goal isn't to turn every writing activity into a spelling test. Young writers need freedom to express ideas, too.

But during appropriate instructional moments, writing provides a natural opportunity to practice moving from sounds to print—the reverse of what children do when decoding.

Use Writing to Reinforce Spelling Patterns

Writing becomes especially useful when children are learning sound-spelling patterns.

Suppose you're working on long A spelled AI.

Children might read words such as:

rain
mail
train
paint

Then they can use those words in their own writing:

The train went through the rain.

Or they might draw a rainy scene and label things in the picture.

Later, compare AI with another spelling for long A, such as AY:

day
play
stay
tray

Children can sort the words, read them, spell them, and use them in sentences.

Writing makes the pattern functional. The child isn't only recognizing AI or AY on a card—they're using the spelling to communicate.

Don't Worry About Perfect Writing at First

When a child is learning, correcting every mistake can make writing feel like a minefield.

Decide what the purpose of the activity is.

If you're practicing a particular sound-spelling pattern, focus attention there.

If you're helping a child express and organize an idea, allow the child to get the idea onto paper before addressing every spelling or punctuation error.

If you're practicing sentence conventions, then capitalization and punctuation might become the focus.

Children need explicit instruction and corrective feedback, but everything doesn't have to be corrected at once.

Choose the teaching point that matters most for that lesson.

Use a Whiteboard for Low-Pressure Practice

A personal whiteboard can be especially helpful for children who hesitate to write because they're afraid of making mistakes.

Writing on a whiteboard feels temporary.

A child can:

• stretch a word and write its sounds
• build a word
• erase one part and change it
• practice a spelling pattern
• write a short sentence
• correct something without covering the page in eraser marks

Sarah frequently used whiteboards and other hands-on materials to keep children actively involved in lessons.

Once the child is comfortable with the skill, move it into regular writing.

Build Words Into Sentences and Sentences Into Stories

Reading instruction can sometimes become so focused on individual sounds and words that children lose sight of why those skills matter.

Keep moving toward meaningful language.

A simple progression might look like:

sound → word → phrase → sentence → story

For example:

/m/

moon

the moon

The moon is bright.

Then the child might draw the moon and write another sentence about it.

Later, those same skills appear when the child reads a story written by someone else.

This helps connect the mechanics of reading and spelling with their real purpose: communicating and understanding ideas.

Reverse the Activity: Read First, Then Draw

Sarah also used the process in reverse.

Instead of starting with a picture and creating words, give the child something to read and ask them to create the picture.

Start simply.

The child reads:

The brown dog slept under the table.

Ask:

“What do you see in your mind?”

Then let the child draw it.

As reading ability grows, use two or three sentences and eventually a short paragraph.

Now the sequence becomes:

print → language → meaning → image

You can compare the drawing with the text.

Did the child include the brown dog?

Is the dog under the table rather than beside it?

Those details give you insight into whether the child is merely pronouncing the words or actually constructing meaning from them.

From Writing Activity to Reading Comprehension

This is where writing, reading, and comprehension begin to come together.

Try moving back and forth:

Draw → tell → write → read

and

Read → visualize → draw → explain

The first sequence helps children turn meaning into written language.

The second helps children turn written language back into meaning.

Eventually, the child won't need to draw every time. Drawing is a tool for making the process visible while the child is learning.

The goal is for the child to increasingly construct meaning mentally while reading.

Let Children Read Their Own Writing

Don't overlook one of the simplest reading activities available:

Have children read what they wrote.

Their own sentences have an enormous advantage—they already know what they intended to say.

That allows them to focus on connecting the print on the page with language they created themselves.

You can also return to the writing later.

Ask the child to read yesterday's sentence or last week's story.

That introduces a small amount of retrieval practice and gives you an opportunity to see whether familiar words and spelling patterns are becoming easier to recognize.

Make Writing Active

Writing doesn't have to mean sitting still with a pencil for an entire lesson.

Children can:

• build a word with letter tiles before writing it
• finger-map its sounds
• write on a whiteboard
• arrange word cards into a sentence
• illustrate a sentence
• label a drawing
• sort words by spelling pattern
• write words containing a target spelling
• physically rearrange words to change a sentence
• read their finished sentence aloud

These activities are most useful when the movement or hands-on component has a clear instructional purpose.

The goal is always to help the child understand and ultimately work independently with print.

Writing Can Show You What a Child Understands

Writing is also a useful window into a child's reading knowledge.

A child may appear to recognize a spelling pattern while reading but have difficulty producing it when writing.

For example, a child might read boat correctly but write bot when trying to spell it independently.

That's useful information.

It tells you the child may recognize the word or pattern in one context without yet having a secure enough understanding to produce it independently.

Writing can reveal:

• sounds the child isn't hearing
• sound-spelling correspondences that aren't secure
• spelling patterns that need additional instruction
• difficulty sequencing sounds
• words that are recognized in reading but not yet secure for spelling
• sentence concepts that need more practice

Use those observations to decide what to teach next.

Reading and Writing Should Lead to Independence

Visuals, drawings, movement, word cards, whiteboards, and manipulatives can all be valuable instructional supports.

But they are supports.

Eventually, children need to look at ordinary print and read it independently. They also need to express their own ideas in writing without relying on a teacher to supply every sound, spelling, or word.

So gradually remove supports as the child becomes successful.

Teach → support → practice → retrieve → apply independently.

That's the direction we want learning to move.

How Child1st Connects Reading and Writing

Child1st resources intentionally connect reading, spelling, writing, and meaningful practice rather than treating them as completely separate skills.

Easy-for-Me™ Reading provides systematic instruction in foundational reading skills while incorporating visual, tactile, verbal, and kinesthetic supports.

Easy-for-Me™ Children's Readers give children opportunities to apply what they've learned in connected text.

Right-Brained Phonics & Spelling helps children work with sound-spelling patterns and use those patterns in reading and spelling.

SnapWords® supports automatic recognition of high-frequency words while connecting the printed word with sound, spelling, meaning, and multisensory reinforcement.

The goal across these activities is the same:

Help children understand how language and print work so they can increasingly read and write independently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does writing help children learn to read?

Yes. Reading and writing require children to work with many of the same language skills. Reading moves from print toward spoken language and meaning, while writing requires children to move from ideas and spoken language toward sounds, spelling, and print. Practicing both can reinforce children's understanding of written language.

Should children learn to read before they learn to write?

Reading and writing can develop together. A beginning reader can draw, label pictures, build words, write simple words and sentences, and read their own writing while learning foundational reading skills.

Should I correct every spelling mistake my child makes?

Children need accurate spelling instruction and useful feedback, but every writing activity doesn't need to become a correction exercise. Choose the instructional focus. During phonics or spelling practice, correct the pattern being taught. During idea generation, you may allow the child to finish expressing the idea before returning to selected errors.

Why have my child draw during reading?

Drawing can make comprehension visible. Asking a child to draw what a sentence or paragraph communicates can help you see whether the child is constructing meaning from the words rather than simply pronouncing them.

What if my child hates writing?

Begin with manageable activities. Drawing and labeling, letter tiles, personal whiteboards, short sentences, word cards, and shared writing can reduce the amount of handwriting required while still allowing the child to work with written language.