From Scribbles to Words: How Children Learn to Write in Two Languages
This is the third post of our Literacy Progression Series. Read the previous post here.
In our last post, we explored how early literacy grows through meaningful play and inquiry in a language-rich environment. One of the most exciting parts of this journey is watching children begin to write, often long before they’re formally taught how.
At Tessa, writing doesn’t start with a pencil and a worksheet. It starts with ideas, stories, and expression. When children feel like they have something to say, they begin to explore how to say it through marks, symbols, drawings, and eventually, words. This is true whether they’re speaking Spanish, French, Mandarin, or English.
With patience and creativity, educators at Tessa International School build a supportive and dynamic learning environment that champions bilingual literacy.
Writing Begins with Symbolic Thinking
Before children write actual words, they first need to understand that writing represents meaning. This begins with drawing, a form of storytelling and idea-sharing, and grows into more intentional mark-making.
Children might:
- Draw a picture of their family and add lines or squiggles to represent names or feelings
- Use letter-like shapes or familiar characters they’ve seen in books
- Label parts of a science sketch using invented spelling in the target language
- Attempt to write words phonetically, using the sounds they hear
This is called emergent writing, and it’s a powerful step in literacy development. It shows that children are making connections between language, sound, and print.
Phonological Awareness and Vocabulary Guide the Way
As children begin writing, they rely heavily on their phonological awareness—their ability to hear and play with the sounds in language—and on the vocabulary they’ve been building since toddlerhood.
For example:
- A child who knows the word chat in French and can hear the /ʃ/ sound may try to write it as “sha.”
- A child exploring rhyming words in Spanish may begin to notice spelling patterns that go with sound patterns.
- In Mandarin, where characters represent whole ideas, children begin by copying and experimenting with brushstrokes or shapes that hold meaning.
The more confident children are in speaking and listening, the more confident they become in representing language on paper.
Two Languages, One Writing Journey
Because our children are developing literacy in more than one language, their writing development is dynamic. They may mix languages, switch sounds, or bring vocabulary from one language into another. This is a natural part of bilingual development and a sign that children are drawing from a broad toolkit of knowledge.
One misunderstood behavior, which is often taken as evidence for confusion, is when bilingual children mix words from two languages in the same sentence. This is known as code mixing. In fact, code mixing is a normal part of bilingual development, and bilingual children actually have good reasons to code mix.
– Barbara Zurer Pearson, American Linguist and Researcher, 2008
You might see a child:
- Writing a word in English using French spelling patterns
- Labeling a picture partly in Mandarin and partly in English
- Inventing spelling based on how a word sounds in their dominant language
This cross-linguistic transfer is not confusion. It is evidence of deep thinking and flexibility.
Read more about how to support a bilingual toddler.
At Tessa, we support this growth by creating intentional opportunities for children to write for real purposes: telling stories, labeling observations, sharing opinions, or making signs for the classroom. We celebrate every step, from the first scribble to the first sentence, knowing that each mark carries meaning.
In our next post, we’ll look at how all of these early literacy experiences set the stage for formal reading instruction and how bilingual children develop strong reading skills in English and beyond.
Sources & Further Reading
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2019). Understanding Emergent Writing: Young Children Learning to Write.
- Castro, D. C., Páez, M., Dickinson, D. K., & Frede, E. (2011). Promoting Language and Literacy in Young Dual Language Learners: Research, Practice, and Policy. Child Development Perspectives.
- Espinosa, L. M. (2015). Getting it Right for Young Children from Diverse Backgrounds: Applying Research to Improve Practice with a Focus on Dual Language Learners. Pearson.
- Rowe, D. W., & Neitzel, C. (2010). Interest and Agency in 2- and 3-Year-Olds’ Participation in Emergent Writing. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 169–195.
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services & U.S. Department of Education. (2017). Policy Statement on Supporting the Development of Children Who Are Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Programs.
