7 Of The Best Mark Making Resources For Early Years
It's much more than squiggles, scribbles and splodges of paint. Mark making sets the foundation of handwriting, creativity and coordination for young children
- by Teachwire
Whether you’re brand new to mark making or your whole world is coloured by a variety of scrawled shapes, patterns and lines, there’s always something you can learn.
After all, if it was as simple as giving children some paper and crayons, teachers could all take a few years’ off while kids teach themselves to be the next Monet.
If you need more info into the benefits, check out Early Years Careers’ article ‘The Importance of Mark Making in Early Years‘, as well as this list of some of the best resources, ideas and activities on the web.
1 Create a mark-making area
Setting up a designated space for these activities not only helps keep any mess under control, it means children have everything they need at their disposal.
This article, also from Early Years Careers, is your ticklist for setting up your own creative zone.
2 Or don’t…
But here’s a possible counter argument. This blog post from ABC Does focuses on motivating children to want to make marks, and part of that is getting them out of your designated zone.
3 Get Squiggling! Letters
CBeebies show, Get Squiggling!, has an accompanying desktop or mobile activity which teaches children how to write each letter, using the mouse cursor or touchscreen to follow the dots as they light up.
The desktop version can be found here, but there’s also a version designed for use on tablets and handheld devices too.
4 Early Learning HQ
Stuck for ideas? Early Learning HQ has a list of activities you can use.
This includes ‘My drawing says’, ‘Wonderful wallpaper’ and ‘Dinosaur hunt’.
5. Rainbow Salt Tray
This rainbow salt tray from Learning4Kids can help creativity, fine motor development, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness, and it’s easy to make too.
6 More sensory trays
Inspired by Learning4Kids’ creation, Anna at The ImaginationTree created her own version and a range of other sensory writing trays too. There’s a sparkly snow version, a dinosaur swamp, fairy dust, a green leaf and more.
7 Large-Scale Painting
Big paintings mean big clear-up job, right? Not if done right. More space means more options, and more children who can join in collaboratively.
These ideas for big art projects from Lessons Learnt Journal will help you on your way.
