This morning, my two-year-old son grabbed a pencil and his notebook. As you can see in the photo above, he sprawled out on his stomach on his favorite peach blanket—which goes everywhere with us—and got to work. To anyone else, it looked like random scribbles. But looking at that proud face? It was magic.
If you’re a parent watching your toddler make those first marks on paper, you might wonder: Is this actually helping them learn? The short answer is yes. Those messy scribbles are the foundation of toddler drawing and writing development.
Let me share what I’ve learned from watching my little one “write” his very important letters (probably about cookies).
Understanding Toddler Scribbling as a Developmental Milestone
When your toddler grabs a crayon and starts making marks, something incredible is happening in their brain.
What’s Really Going On?
Honestly, I didn’t think about ’cause and effect’ when he first started. I just thought, ‘Thank goodness he’s quiet for five minutes.’ But the more I watched, the more I realized what was happening: He moves his hand, and boom—a mark appears. He controls the outcome. This simple action is actually pre-writing skills for toddlers in action.
Here’s what they’re learning:
- How much pressure to use
- How to control their hand movements
- That their actions create results
- That making marks is fun and rewarding
My son doesn’t know he’s practicing. He just knows it feels good to drag that pencil across the page.
Why Scribbling Matters
Before kids can write the alphabet, they need to love making marks. Think of it this way: you can’t build a house without a foundation. Scribbling is the foundation for all future writing.
Experts call this writing readiness for toddlers. It’s not about perfect letters yet. It’s about building confidence and curiosity.
The Pencil Grip Journey: It’s Okay to Be Messy
One thing I’ve stopped worrying about? How my son holds his pencil.
Different Grips for Different Stages
Right now, my toddler uses what I call the ‘fist of determination’ grip. You can see it clearly in the picture above—he wraps his whole hand around that pencil like he’s holding a tiny sword. I used to try to correct this, gently nudging his fingers into the ‘right’ spot. But I learned that at two years old, this sword grip is actually perfectly normal. I used to worry, but now I just let him hold it however he wants.
How to hold a pencil (kids) develops in stages:
- Fist grip (ages 1-2): Whole hand wrapped around the pencil
- Digital pronate grip (ages 2-3): Fingers pointing down, hand moves as one unit
- Four-finger grip (ages 3-4): Starting to use fingers separately
- Tripod grip (ages 4-5+): The “proper” way adults hold pencils
Your toddler will get there. Forcing the “correct” grip too early can actually make them frustrated and less interested in writing.
Building Fine Motor Skills for Writing
Every time your child picks up a pencil, they’re strengthening tiny muscles in their hands and fingers. These fine motor skills for writing take years to develop.
Want to help? Let them:
- Play with playdough
- Use chunky crayons
- Stack blocks
- Turn pages in books
- Pick up small objects (with supervision)
All of these activities build the same muscles they’ll use for writing later.
Pre-Writing Activities for 2-Year-Olds That Actually Work
You don’t need fancy workbooks or expensive programs. The best pre-writing activities for 2-year-olds are simple and fun.
What We Do at Home
- Morning scribble time: I give my son a cheap lined notebook (the dollar store kind) and let him go wild. No rules. No corrections. Just pure creative chaos.
- It sounds funny, but page turning is actually a huge skill. My son (pictured above) loves the drama of flipping the page after he fills one with scribbles. He is learning that books have an order—you start here, you finish here, you turn the page. It’s a pre-reading skill disguised as play, teaching him that stories have a sequence before he can even read a word.
- Horizontal surface work: I let him write on the floor while lying on his stomach. This position is actually amazing for building core strength, which helps with sitting properly at a desk later.
Simple Activities to Try
- Draw on big paper: Tape the paper to the wall and let them scribble standing up.
- Use different tools: Crayons, chalk, paintbrushes, and even sticks in the dirt.
- Trace in sand or flour: Spread some flour on a tray and let them make marks with their fingers
- Color without lines: Forget coloring books for now—blank paper is better
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s exploration.
How to Encourage a Toddler to Write (Without Pushing Too Hard)
Here’s what I’ve learned: if I push, he shuts down. If I celebrate, he lights up.
Do This Instead of Correcting
When my son shows me his “writing,” I don’t ask, “What is it?” Kids this age aren’t drawing specific things yet, and that question can feel like a test.
Instead, I say:
- “Wow, you worked really hard on that!”
- “Tell me about what you made.”
- “I love all those lines you drew.”
- “Thank you for writing that down for me.”
This builds confidence. He believes his marks have meaning and value.
Create a Writing-Friendly Environment
Make it easy for your toddler to practice:
- Keep crayons and paper in a low drawer that they can reach.
- Have a special “writing spot” (even if it’s just the floor)
- Write alongside them—toddlers love copying grown-ups.
- Display their work on the fridge (this tells them their writing matters)
Know When to Step Back
If your toddler isn’t interested in writing yet, that’s okay. Some kids love it at 18 months. Others (like my nephew) would rather eat the crayons than draw with them until they are three. Both are completely normal.
Never force it. The moment it feels like a chore, you’ve lost the magic.
What These Scribbles Mean for Future Learning
I used to think scribbling was just cute. Now I understand it’s essential.
The Connection to Reading
When toddlers scribble, they’re learning that marks on paper have meaning. This is the same concept they’ll need for reading. Letters are just marks that represent sounds and words.
Kids who scribble freely often become more confident readers and writers later.
Building Problem-Solving Skills
Watch your toddler closely when they draw. They’re making decisions:
- Which color to use
- How hard to press
- When to flip the page
- Whether to fill the whole space or just make a few marks
These are early problem-solving and planning skills.
The Joy Factor
Most importantly, when we let toddlers scribble without pressure, they learn that creating is joyful. They develop an internal motivation to communicate through marks on paper.
This joy is what carries them through years of learning to write actual letters, words, and sentences.
My Biggest Lesson as a Parent
The photos I took this morning show my son completely absorbed in his work. He had that look of pure concentration—tongue sticking out slightly, eyes focused, totally in his own world.
That focus taught me something important: he doesn’t need me to teach him right now. He needs me to provide the tools and get out of his way.
What I’m Doing Differently Now
I stopped:
- Correcting his grip
- Asking him to draw specific things
- Worrying about whether he’s “ready” for writing
I started:
- Buying cheap notebooks, he can destroy guilt-free
- Celebrating every scribble like it’s a masterpiece
- Trusting the process
Trust Your Toddler
Your child’s brain knows what it needs to develop. Those scribbles that look like chaos? They’re actually carefully ordered practice sessions designed by your toddler’s natural development.
Our job isn’t to rush them toward writing letters. Our job is to keep the pencils sharp and the encouragement flowing.
Final Thoughts: Respect the Scribble
If there’s one thing I want you to remember, it’s this: toddler scribbling is a developmental milestone worth celebrating.
Before your child can write their name, spell words, or fill out worksheets, they need to believe they have something worth saying. They need to feel confident making marks on paper.
So the next time your toddler hands you a page full of scribbles, don’t see mess. See the beginning of literacy. See fine motor skills developing. See a little human figuring out how to communicate with the world.
And maybe, just maybe, see a very important letter about cookies.
Every scribble matters. Every mark is progress. And every page filled with “chaos” is actually a beautifully organized lesson in becoming a writer.
