Why Drawing Before Writing Helps Children Write

When teaching children to write, one simple but powerful tool is often overlooked—drawing.

Before putting pencil to paper for writing, encouraging your child to draw a picture of their story or idea can be an essential step in helping them organise their thoughts, improve comprehension, and feel more confident in the writing process.

This pre-writing strategy taps into children’s natural creativity and offers a bridge between their imagination and the written word.

Why Drawing Before Writing Helps Children Organise Their Thoughts and Boost Comprehension

Before children can write a great story or share a clear idea on paper, they first need to see it in their minds.

But for many young learners, jumping straight into writing can feel overwhelming.

That’s where drawing comes in.

Asking your child to draw a picture before they begin writing can be a powerful way to help them organise their thoughts, build understanding, and ease into the writing process with confidence.

Drawing is more than just a creative outlet—it’s a stepping stone that supports strong, meaningful writing.

Drawing Activates Thinking

Drawing encourages children to visualise what they want to say before they begin writing.

This step gives their brain time to build the story, scene, or idea visually, which then becomes easier to describe in words.

For many young learners, especially those who are still developing language skills, pictures can serve as a mental map of what they want to communicate.

For example, if a child wants to write about a day at the beach, sketching the sun, the waves, and a sandcastle helps them recall the experience more vividly.

The details included in the drawing—like the seagulls or the colour of the beach umbrella—may become the very details that make their writing rich and descriptive.

Drawing Organises Ideas

Children often have ideas bouncing around in their heads but may not know where to start.

A drawing gives them a starting point and a structure.

It helps them decide what comes first, next, and last.

This sequencing is a critical writing skill and can be challenging for young children to grasp through words alone.

By sketching out the main parts of their story or explanation, children can better identify the key ideas they want to include and the order in which they should appear.

This step can reduce the overwhelm that sometimes comes with writing and allow them to approach it with more clarity.

Drawing Builds Confidence

Writing can feel intimidating, especially for children who struggle with spelling or fine motor skills.

Drawing first allows them to express their ideas without the pressure of forming words or sentences.

It shifts the focus from getting the words “right” to getting the ideas flowing.

When children see their ideas represented in a drawing, it affirms that they have something worth sharing.

They approach the writing task with a clearer sense of purpose and ownership, which can lead to more confident and meaningful writing.

Drawing Supports Comprehension and Vocabulary

When children draw about what they are going to write, it supports their understanding of the topic.

It allows them to think more deeply about the setting, the characters, and the actions involved.

Teachers and parents can use the drawing as a conversation starter—asking questions like, “Who is this?” or “What is happening here?”—to guide the child in making connections and expanding on their ideas.

This verbal interaction helps develop vocabulary and oral language, which are important foundations for writing.

It also ensures that the child understands what they are writing about, making the final piece more coherent and complete.

How to Use Drawing as a Pre-Writing Tool

Here are a few simple ways to incorporate drawing into your child’s writing routine:

• Ask open-ended questions: “Can you draw a picture of what you want to write about?” or “What happened first? Can you show me in your drawing?”
• Use the drawing for discussion: Talk about what they’ve drawn before they begin writing. This conversation helps reinforce ideas and vocabulary.
• Encourage labeling: For early writers, adding labels to parts of the picture (e.g., “dog,” “tree,” “me”) is a great step toward full sentences.
• Make it routine: Use drawing regularly as part of the writing process, especially for narrative or descriptive writing tasks.

Why Drawing Before Writing Helps Children Organise Their Thoughts and Boost Comprehension

Drawing is far more than a creative activity—it’s a practical, brain-friendly way to help children become better writers.

By giving children the space to draw first, we support their ability to plan, organise, and express their ideas in writing.

So next time your child is stuck or unsure how to begin a writing task, hand them some crayons and paper first.

You might be surprised at how clearly their story comes to life—both in pictures and in words.