Books to inspire writing and drawing in the early years

Inviting children to begin their writing journey starts long before letter formation. Exploring map making, planning and creating new inventions, art, and much more can be an exciting and imaginative way to encourage writing for enjoyment in early years.

How to use this resource

This resource has been created for early years practitioners working with children at the start of their writing journey. Throughout the resource, expertly chosen book recommendations have been shared to inspire the children you work with to write for themselves, but they are merely suggestions. The activities that accompany each strand can be applied to any book on the linked themes to help inspire writing for enjoyment.

Where next?

If you find this resource helpful you'll find further insight in our Supporting writing in the early years: practitioner guidance.

You might also like to explore the research and resources available on our National Writing Day page.