July 2023 Parenta magazine

Innovative
ideas for early
mark-making
Our role as practitioners is:
To critically reflect upon our own
practice, provision, and pedagogy in
order to extend, develop and support
children’s learning and development
opportunities across the curriculum,
and;
To ensure they have access to a
diverse range of opportunities and
experiences that spark curiosity,
promote engagement, and
enhance learning and development
opportunities.
It is just as important for us to notice
what the children aren’t doing just
as it is for us to observe what they
are doing, and to understand how
and why their individual learning
styles, interests, age and stage of
development impact how and why
they access the provision in the way
that they do.
One aspect of the curriculum that is often
highlighted as difficult to engage certain
children in consistently, is mark-making.
When you sit back and reflect upon why
some children appear to be reluctant
mark-makers, it can simply be because
the way in which mark-making is offered,
displayed or encouraged within the
provision, does not appeal to the learning
styles and interests of particular children,
and it is our job as educators to think of
creative and innovative ways to change
this and make mark-making and literacy
accessible and exciting for all of our
children.
Instead of simply offering books, paper,
whiteboards, and other writing tools at a
table, indoors, why not take it large scale?
Turn a display board into a blank canvas
by covering it in blank paper and offering
different writing tools alongside it. Add
furniture and chairs nearby if the display
board is slightly out of reach to add a
sense of risk, challenge, and excitement,
so children can use their gross motor skills
to climb up onto a surface before they
engage their fine motor skills to make
marks.
If we change the parameters in which
children can access mark-making
opportunities and experiences and offer
them in a more relaxed, child-centred way,
we may spark the interest and curiosity of
even the most reluctant of mark-makers.
A very simple concept, in essence, could
totally revolutionise mark-making for
children who are otherwise disinterested
in this aspect of their learning and
development.
If there is an area of your provision that
children are consistently not accessing
or seem to be avoiding or showing little
interest in, then critically reflect on why
that could be and flip it on its head in
order to fully hand over that area to
its most important users; the children.
Critical reflection and using your initiative
by taking play and provision back to
basics, truly are the characteristics of
confident, knowledgeable and proactive
practitioners; and it’s truly monumental to
give children the freedom and ownership
to access and use an area of the provision
they normally shy away from, in their own
way, their own time and within their own
space and the learning and development
opportunities that arise from doing so are
invaluable.
The ‘writing’ aspect of this area of learning
and development does not just refer to
holding and using a pencil to write letters/
names/words. Writing starts very early on
in a child’s life. In the EYFS, ‘writing’ covers
a broad range of skills that children begin
to develop to gain the necessary skills they
will need; the concept of early and simple
mark-making should not be overlooked
for its value to early writing and letter
formation in later childhood.
For many, there is a belief that reading
and writing are only vital around preschool
age to promote school readiness
- this is not the case. Once exposed to
varying forms of literacy and writing
experiences, children will notice signs
in their environment and develop an
understanding of not only what these
signs mean and that information can be
relayed through both imagery and print,
but also begin to introduce letters and
sounds and early letter formation.
Similarly, there is some debate in regard
to writing in terms of ‘school readiness’;
as many primary school teachers tell us
as early years providers that we should
not insist/encourage that children write
their names independently in order to be
considered ‘school ready’ as the reception
curriculum has its own method of teaching
children to write their names. But again,
these teachers all stress the importance
of early mark-making skills over formal
writing and letter formation skills.
This is not to say that if a child does show
an interest in letters and letter formation,
we should discourage or not extend
these opportunities, but our primary focus
should not be for children to be writing/
copying letters before they start reception,
their early marks and ability to hold and
use mark-making tools competently are far
more valuable.
There are several stimulating and
engaging activities and experiences you
could offer within the indoor and outdoor
provision in order to promote early
mark-making for children of all ages. For
example:
Providing each child with their own
‘writing book’ - a book with the child’s
photo on that is theirs to mark-make
in as they see fit (writing tools should
be always accessible in each area of
the setting)
Water painting in the outdoor play
area. Not only simple and no mess,
but the children love watching the
marks they have made evaporate
Using paintbrushes to make marks
in sand or flour - the child gets to
practice their marks, but it’s easily
removed/re-done so the child doesn’t
feel any pressure to ‘get it right’
A tray of rice accompanied by an
alphabet mat - the child gets to
practice making marks, but it’s easily
shaken/covered to start again, so the
child doesn’t feel any pressure to ‘get
it right’
For children who have an interest in
writing their name or copying letters,
you could use a highlighter pen to
write the child’s name for them to
go over/copy – this promotes fluid
movements as the child follows the
shape of the letter rather than the
staggered process of connecting the
dots that have been used in the past
Outdoor and indoor mark-making
opportunities using a range of
resources; chalking, paintbrushes and
water, play dough and pencils
Activities using tweezers to pick up
and transport objects - the fine motor
skills needed to complete these
types of activities are conducive to
developing the pincer grip and tripod
hold necessary for holding and using
writing tools effectively
Chloe Webster
Chloe Webster is an early years educator
with over 12 years of experience in the
Early Years Sector.
She is a published author and advocate of
the sector. In addition to this, she also has
vast experience in social media marketing
and communication support for Early Years
businesses/settings. Chloe currently has
capacity to support settings, practitioners,
and leaders in an advisory/consultancy
role or to provide support on efficiently
marketing and promoting your setting/
business.
She can be reached by email at
chloelouisewebster@hotmail.com
20 July 2023 | parenta.com
parenta.com | July 2023 21