Experimental study on the impact of different types of diary drawing activities on young children's pre-writing skills

Abstract

Pre-writing skills are a crucial component of emergent literacy development in young children. Diary drawing activities encourage children to use drawings, symbols, and approximations of words to record events and express ideas, thereby supporting the development of pre-writing skills. This study explored the impact of different types of diary drawing activities on the pre-writing skills of middle and senior preschoolers. Using a random sampling method, the study selected 132 middle and senior class children and divided them into three groups: a teacher-guided diary drawing group, a free creative diary drawing group, and a control group. The results indicated that diary drawing activities had a significant positive effect on enhancing children's pre-writing skills, particularly in the areas of “symbol expression” and “Chinese character awareness.” Middle class children showed improvement in both experimental groups, while senior class children showed better results in the teacher-guided group. This study provides empirical evidence and practical guidance for early reading and writing education in preschools. It suggests that teachers should choose appropriate types of diary drawing activities based on children's age characteristics and focus on enhancing their professional instructional skills.