Mark making is an early stage of writing where children begin to create marks that represent their feelings, thoughts, experiences, and ideas. Over time, these marks evolve as children develop their fine motor skills and phonic awareness, eventually forming letters and attempting to write words.
Mark making allows children to express themselves, build confidence, and develop essential fine motor skills as they manipulate pencils, chalk, fingers, and other tools with purpose.
At Pennthorpe, we encourage mark making everywhere (within reason!) and celebrate each child’s creations. By asking children to talk about their marks, we help them understand that writing carries meaning, building their self-confidence and early literacy skills.
In the Early Years at Pennthorpe, children are often found making marks in creative and exciting ways. They use pencils, crayons, pastels, and paint on paper; create drawings on our chalkboards; and outside with chalk. They’ve also explored mark making with flour, foam, and, most recently, ice!
You can support this vital stage of literacy at home by offering a variety of tools, such as crayons, paint, and chalk, by joining in and getting messy and celebrating all their marks!
