Mark Making with Water
What is Mark Making?
Mark making describes the scribbles that young children make. As children grow and develop, they begin to learn to better control their movements. They practise using the muscles in their hand in order to draw and their hand-eye coordination develops. These are essential skills for learning to write.
Mark making also gives children the opportunity to express themselves, communicate their feelings and explore their environment. Through making patterns and swirls, children develop their creativity and imagination.
Children can mark make using a variety of tools, including pens, pencils, paint brushes, sticks or just their finger tips. You don’t even need paint; water can be just as fun!
Try this with your little one
Take your little one into the garden, give them a paintbrush and a cup of water and encourage them to draw on the path. After giving them time to play and explore, encourage them to try the following:
- Can they use the brush to paint up and down?
- Can they use the brush to paint from side to side?
- Can they use the brush to paint round and round?
- Can they use the brush to paint dots?
- Can they use the brush to paint lines?
If your child is older, try encouraging them to draw:
- a square
- a circle
- a triangle
- a house
- a person
Older children could even practise writing their names.
It doesn’t matter what your child decides to draw, the important things is that they have fun doing it. As they explore, they will be learning and developing their skills and their self confidence.
Find out more
First Steps Phonics is passionate about supporting parents, helping you to inspire your child to develop a love of learning. If you would like more tips on how you can support your child to develop key skills, why not follow us on facebook or visit our website www.firststepsphonics.co.uk to try our online sessions?