Making a Mark

Posted on Apr 23, 2022 by Paula Baker

MARK MAKING

Kids love drawing on things don’t they! Parents cross their fingers that the marks end up on paper or a chalk board and not on the walls.

Mark making is the creation of different lines, patterns, textures and shapes. Young children have a natural desire to explore and experiment, and mark making helps children to make sense of their world. It provides the foundations for writing.

Mark making is more than just a scribble. It helps children’s development in the areas of creativity, fine motor control, handwriting and coordination. It helps children connect the left and right brain functions. It is the first step towards writing, and is crucial for children’s learning and development.

There are different stages children go through when learning to make marks. Initially children enjoy the sensory feeling of making marks, but later they make the connection that they can refine their marks and use them to communicate. Making marks helps children to learn how to hold a pencil correctly, develops their handwriting skills and prepares them for writing. It’s a very sensory experience for many children.

Children can express themselves using different commercial mediums such as paint, pencils, crayons, textas and chalk. They can make marks in fun ways, like using bath crayons and paint sticks in the bath. Mark making can also take place outside in the natural environment using crushed up rocks as paint, drawing with rocks on concrete and using sticks in the dirt. You don’t need to spend lots of money to encourage mark making at home.

And just because children get bigger and older doesn’t mean mark making has to stop. We can encourage writing by setting up writing areas in our homes which have a range of materials available at any time to use. There is such a huge range of pens and markers on the market that can be used, from gel pens to puffy pens. Think outside the box and provide highlighters or calligraphy pens, or use scratch boards, white boards or chalk boards to write on.

Encourage the older children to write to a pen pal the old fashioned way, and with lots of great letter writing sets around this could become an ongoing writing journey for your child to look back on in years to come. Buying your child a diary or journal also encourages children to have a go at writing. Use magic pens that can only be read with the special torch attached, keeping your notes and letters super secret! Kids don’t have to write stories or letters to make marks. Encourage them to make marks in different ways in their play opportunities eg signs, menus, instructions, treasure maps and labels.

Encourage your child to make their mark!

All products pictured can be found in store in the Barossa Valley South Australia, and online at kidsunite.com.au.

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