Last Updated - September 10, 2024
Find out why mark making is so important and discover our top tips for supporting this in the early years.
Making scribbles with pens, creating hand prints with paint and drawing patterns in the sand, aka mark making, are all signs you’ll see on the lead up to writing in the early years.
Mark making is the beginning of a child’s journey to writing and is an important step in a child’s development. It also helps with fine and gross motor skills.
If you work in early childhood education, you’ve likely heard the term “mark making” quite often. But what exactly does it mean, and how does it benefit children’s development?
Mark making encompasses all the scribbles and patterns that children naturally create. Whether it’s drawing patterns in the sand with their fingers, scribbling on paper with a crayon, dipping their fingers in spilled food, or drawing lines in the mud with a stick, these activities are the beginnings of mark making. Children do this almost instinctively, without needing any instruction.
When babies and toddlers start making marks intentionally using their bodies or various tools, they are taking their first steps towards writing and drawing. No matter how children mark make, this is a very important step in both physical development and cognitive development and should be encouraged whenever you spot it!
When children create marks through art or by drawing patterns, they are using essential physical development tools needed for writing. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t encourage mark making in other ways. In fact, engaging in mark making on a larger scale outdoors is particularly beneficial as it promotes ‘whole arm’ movements. These movements help build the foundation of muscle control necessary for holding a pencil correctly.
When children create marks through art or by drawing patterns, they are using essential physical development tools needed for writing. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t encourage mark making in other ways. In fact, engaging in mark making on a larger scale outdoors is particularly beneficial as it promotes ‘whole arm’ movements. These movements help build the foundation of muscle control necessary for holding a pencil correctly.
Physical Development
As children experiment with making marks, they learn to use their bodies in various ways. This promotes fine and gross motor skills, different grips, and body control, all of which are essential for writing.
Expressive Arts & Design
Mark making and drawing lines or patterns that represent something else allow children to express themselves creatively. It provides a new way for them to convey their feelings more permanently, rather than through sounds and movement. This activity sparks their imagination and helps them share their thoughts through pictures and stories.
Mathematics
Mark making can lay the foundation for understanding numbers and shapes, leading to the development of mathematical skills.
While some children may already know how to write numbers or form simple words, it’s important to encourage them without rushing through this stage, as children progress at different rates.
Supporting mark making at home can be both fun and beneficial for your child’s development. Here are some practical tips for parents:
By incorporating these tips, you can create a supportive environment that nurtures your child’s mark making and overall development.
Mark making on 3D objects uses different muscles than making marks on a flat piece of paper, strengthening muscles in fingers, hands, arms and shoulders.
Marks can also be made in materials such as dry sand, flour, glitter etc using use a finger. If in individual trays, children can make their marks then when finished, give the tray a shake and you have a blank canvas ready for more marks to be made.
These activities not only support mark making but also encourage creativity, fine motor skills, and imaginative play. Enjoy creating and exploring with your child!
