What Is Emergent Writing?

Emergent writing is the term used for learning to use the written form in useful situations. It is an integral part of Early Years education in the UK. The classroom is set up so that writing can be a part of any activity. This means writing materials are supplied in the art area, near the Numeracy corner, in the role play area, so that the activity can be instigated by the child, rather than lead by the adult.

The idea is that children will learn to appreciate that writing has a purpose during the early stages of their language development. The activities that are encouraged around these emergent writing areas include recording of information, writing invites, cards and letters, and creating then using shopping lists. The writing itself does not have to contain correctly formed letters; it is the understanding of the purpose that is important.

The purpose gives the child a reason to want to write and so enables better literacy levels. This is a particularly useful tool with boys, as achievement amongst boys is significantly lower than girls in this area in many countries across the world. Studies have proven that boys prefer factual information and so this gives writing more appeal. Emergent writing is an important part of a child's early writing development.