Encouraging children to write captions beneath their drawings primarily reinforces which outcome?

Encouraging children to write captions beneath their drawings primarily reinforces their grasp of the alphabetic principle through phonetic spelling. This practice allows children to make connections between the sounds they hear in words and the letters they use to represent those sounds. When children attempt to spell words phonetically, they are engaging with the fundamental concept that letters correspond to specific sounds.

By writing captions, children also gain practical experience in using the alphabet and understanding how words are constructed. This hands-on approach helps to solidify their understanding of the relationship between sounds and letters, which is crucial for reading and writing development. Overall, this activity supports early literacy skills by fostering an understanding of how written language represents spoken language through the alphabetic system.