Writing experiences can start before children are independently reading. A fundamental concept for learning to read is the understanding that print is a kind of talking written down. The squiggles on the page carry meaning.
The earlier mud activities, walking in the rain to see puddles, talking about them, playing with muddy-colored play-dough, listening to ryhmes and stories have given children lots to think about. Now, it’s time to let your child express his/her own ideas. Provide some brown and other colors of crayons or markers and let your child draw a mud puddle. Now, talk about it and help your child make up a story about the mud puddle. Once upon a time there was a mud puddle. One day it….You may write out some of the story and ‘read’ it a few times. This activity will help your child associate print and meaning which is essential for reading success. (The little brown dots are the puddles above.)