Writing is not an easy task for most five year olds. Sometimes they think it’s just too hard, and to be fair, it is! Writing takes lots of mental and physical effort that can easily overwhelm young ones. A simple way to get a five year old to write without complaining is to start with labeling pictures.
Why Labeling Pictures Works
In natural writing development, children start with pictures. Drawing is what they know and are comfortable doing. Then they move on to the scribbling stage and start trying to form letters. Once they are comfortable with forming letters you’ll see random letters and streams of letters written across their paper. The next stage, where children start connecting letter sounds to what they’re writing, is where this labeling pictures strategy comes into play. And it’s so exciting!
How to Use the Labeling Pictures Strategy With a 5 Year Old
Start With a Drawing
First, invite your child to draw a picture. If you’re using writing workshop, get into the routine of sitting down together to “write” each day, even for ten minutes.
My son, now six years old, rarely sits down to write first. He almost always starts with drawing. This is normal and something I encourage. It’s good to let kids know that some writers start with the words for their books, and some authors/illustrators start with the pictures. Either way is fine. Let your child decide.
Sometimes we don’t see the value of drawing and don’t count it as writing, but drawing plays a vital role in writing development for five year olds. Drawing can jumpstart writing ideas and help kids write more words in the end.
Teach the Meaning and Value of a Label
One thing I try to emphasize with young writers is that books have both pictures and words. With that in mind, it helps to back this idea up with real life examples.
Show Examples of Pictures With Labels
To teach the meaning and value of a label find some nonfiction picture books that have pictures with labels. Most science topics will show an illustration of an animal with its body parts labeled.
Make Observations About Labels
Point out the labels to your child and ask her what she notices. These are two key things to take away from your observations:
- Labels consist of a word or a few words
- A line is drawn to connect the words to the parts in the picture
Talk About Why Picture Labels Are Used
Next, talk with your child about how labeling helps the reader get more information and understanding about a topic. Find other examples of labeling and talk about it’s importance in those kinds of writing, as in science diagrams and instruction manuals.
Model Label Writing
To model writing labels start by drawing a simple picture in the center of the paper. Point out that you need to leave room around the edge for words.
Then talk about the kinds of labels that would be helpful to a reader. Brainstorm out loud the words so your child hears them.
Demonstrate the process of saying a word and writing it. Focus on the beginning and ending sounds that you know your child can identify. If you know your child can do more, slowly stretch the word and talk about other sounds you hear.
Practice Label Writing
Give your five year old plenty of opportunities to practice writing labels for his pictures. As he draws his picture use prompts to encourage him.
- “I wonder how many labels you can add to make your picture tell more?”
- “What new words do you want to teach someone about your picture?”
- “What are the most important words that give details about your picture?”
Other Labeling Ideas
Magazine Photos
Here’s a fun labeling idea from My Happy Place. Gather some magazine photos and place blank address labels on the pictures in places where labels could go and draw connecting lines. Have your child fill them in.
Label the Room
Cut construction paper, or white paper, into four or five-inch strips. Choose a room in your home to label. Have your child write labels for different items she sees. Then tape them on the items.
This activity works well for imaginative play, like in making a store. For more imaginative play writing ideas, read my guest post at Homeschool Review Crew.
Labeling pictures can empower five year olds to take more risks in writing. It helps them identify as a writer and not just someone who can draw. If children think writing is too hard, they can find success by first labeling pictures. It’s a confidence booster. Many kids find writing labels fun and will continue to label for months. As they grow in their writing skills you can take it to the next level, but for now, labeling their pictures is a reasonable expectation.
