Two-year-olds' Writing?

On another Voice of Literacy podcast, Dr. Baker interviewed Dr. Deborah Wells Rowe about her research into the writing of two- and three-year-olds.  Yes, that's right, two-year-olds writing!  Dr. Rowe is quick to point out that if you weren't present to observe the child at work you might not know that it is writing-oriented, but that, in fact, children start to distinguish reading and writing activity as early as two and certainly by three years of age.

This writing may consist of nothing more than lines, as opposed to circular shapes which might indicate drawing, but nonetheless Dr. Rowe points out that children observe the way that writing is part of grown-ups' daily lives and attempt to emulate it.

As Dr. Rowe went on to describe how we should encourage children's imaginative play to include writing, as well as how we as adults might fold children into our own writing activity, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Donut House.  In both cases, the authors mention play and pretending as fundamental to improved literacy development.  In The Donut House, Powell and Davidson advocate for situated literacy (i.e. real-world contexts) in pretend scenarios, and here Dr. Rowe would have that extrapolated to preschool.

If nothing else, I have to imagine that this sort of play would at least foster a productive disposition toward reading and writing, something which my field experience has indicated is definitely a problem for the most struggling readers.