Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Ellen’s first grade classroom in Maine. Her students were buzzing with energy, huddled together on the rug, eagerly constructing a piece of writing. What struck me immediately was how much—and how joyfully—they were writing. Every child was engaged, their eyes lighting up as they contributed words, ideas, and even punctuation marks to a shared piece of text. Ellen uses interactive writing as a regular part of her instruction, and the results were nothing short of inspiring.
“I think it’s a valuable instructional practice that allows teachers to address the diverse needs and varying levels of knowledge in their classrooms,” Ellen told me. After watching her students collaborate and proudly read their co-authored work aloud, it was clear this wasn’t just writing—it was community-building, confidence-boosting, and joyful learning in action.
Interactive writing is a powerful and engaging literacy practice for young learners. It is a collaborative approach where you and the children share the pen to compose text together. This process not only supports early writing development but also strengthens foundational literacy skills in an authentic and meaningful way.
Interactive writing serves as a bridge between reading and writing, helping students understand how print works while developing phonics, word recognition, and writing conventions. It also demystifies the writing process by making each step—from generating ideas to constructing sentences—visible and accessible to children. Through this shared experience, students gain a clearer understanding of how writing works and begin to internalize the process for themselves. Interactive writing builds children’s confidence as writers, fosters transfer of literacy skills, and provides explicit instruction in a supportive environment.
Why Interactive Writing?
For PreK, kindergarten, and first-grade children, writing can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. Interactive writing breaks down the writing process by allowing children to contribute their ideas while you provide guidance, modeling, and support. The result is a writing experience that builds confidence and helps young learners see themselves as writers.
Benefits of Interactive Writing
1. Develops Oral Language
Writers use language to formulate their thoughts and compose a message before writing. Interactive writing provides an opportunity for children to generate and orally rehearse their ideas. This first step helps children understand that writing is about communicating meaning. Through rich conversation and collaborative planning, children learn how to organize their thinking and consider what they want to say. Once the message is clear, you and the children work together to construct the text.
2. Provides A Bridge Between Reading and Writing
Interactive writing helps children make connections between the words they read and the words they write. As children construct the text with the teacher, they reinforce their understanding of how print works. This shared experience provides opportunities for intentional rereading – both while you are creating the piece of writing to check on accuracy and after the piece is complete. Because the writing captures children’s ideas, they take great joy in rereading it, and these finished texts become meaningful shared reading experiences.
3. Strengthens Phonics and Word Study
Interactive writing provides an authentic way to teach and reinforce children’s knowledge of letter-sound relationships, spelling patterns, and high-frequency words. You and the children work together to construct words, allowing for authentic application of your phonics instruction. During an interactive writing lesson Ellen asked students, “What do you know about the word look?” One child replied, “It has two o’s, like in book.” Ellen affirmed the connection, saying, “In this word, look and book end the same.” This moment not only reinforced the double vowel phonogram (oo); it also helped students connect a part of a word they know to write a new word and apply their phonics knowledge in an authentic writing experience.
4. Builds Confidence and a Collaborative Writing Community
Interactive writing fosters a sense of classroom community, where all students contribute, regardless of their writing abilities. This approach encourages risk-taking, engagement, and a shared sense of accomplishment. Ellen, who has thoughtfully integrated interactive writing into her practice, shared, “Interactive writing ensured confidence as the children watched each other participate and show what they could do no matter their capabilities in writing.”
5. Teaches Writing Conventions in Context
Instead of teaching punctuation, capitalization, and spacing in isolation, interactive writing embeds these skills in authentic ways which helps children see the purpose of these conventions. Children are more likely to apply their knowledge of conventions to independent writing when they understand their purpose.
A Memorable Interactive Writing Experience
One of the most rewarding aspects of interactive writing is the joy it brings to children. Ellen recalled a particularly special experience. “This year, my first graders created an interactive story about a brave little squirrel on a quest to find the biggest acorn. What made it truly memorable was watching their eyes light up as they collaborated, adding their own twists and turns to the tale. Each child contributed their unique ideas, turning the story into a vibrant tapestry of imagination. The joy and pride they felt when we shared it with the class was priceless. And then, when we went to outdoor school, we saw a squirrel practically showing us the live version of their story—the full circle was incredible!”
Why Interactive Writing Matters
Making interactive writing a regular part of your literacy instruction provides explicit, scaffolded support for early writers. Ellen’s day-to-day work with primary readers and writers gives weight to her words. Grounded in classroom reality, she reminds us: “I believe that interactive writing serves a crucial purpose in developing literacy skills. It fosters a sense of community, encourages my students to express their thoughts, and helps them build confidence in their writing abilities. It’s an essential component of early education that lays the foundation for future academic success.”
By integrating interactive writing into your early childhood classroom, you’re not only teaching students how to write—you’re showing them that their words matter, their ideas are valuable, and that writing is a powerful way to share their thoughts with the world.
So, why not grab a marker and start sharing the pen?
