Incorporating mark making into all areas

How to incorporate mark making into all areas of your continuous provision.

Some settings create a well-resourced mark making area and think that this is sufficient enough in helping develop children’s early writing skills. To expand opportunities further, it is important practitioners use their skilful knowledge and look where else mark making can be incorporated.

By adding mark making resources to other areas within the environment this can benefit children who do not access the mark making/graphics area. It is important to ensure that all children are offered a wide range of activities that cover all areas of the EYFS. In order for children to thrive in their development, high-quality teaching and a stimulating environment are some of the contributing factors.

To help support children on their journey of developing their mark making skills here are a few ideas of how you can incorporate mark making into other areas of your continuous provision.

• In your construction area either inside or outside why not add some clipboards and pots of pencils, rulers and tape measures. Children may use these resources during their play, they may decide to measure how tall their structure is and write the measurements down. Children may also decide to use mark making resources to draw a picture of their end product. Having these resources accessible is a way of introducing simple make making into a construction area.
• Why not add also add clipboards with paper attached to your small world area. Children may decide to draw a picture that fist in with their small world theme. Don’t forget to include various types of crayons and pencils as this gives children a choice.
• Make some little notebooks using sheets of paper and staples or you could use small notebooks and add these along with pencils to your role play area. Children will use these resources in their play to either write shopping lists or even draw pictures in. You could also add blank postcards.
• To enhance your books area to include mark making resources add notebooks so that children can create their own storybooks. This is a great opportunity for children to develop their creativity as well as their imagination skills.
• In your creative area provide children with a range of mark making tools such as different size paint brushes, paint rollers, sponges, dabber paints, crayons. Have these accessible for children to choose.
• If you have an investigation area or a table top area that has a particular focus then why not add clipboards with paper or even chalkboards and chalks. Giving children the opportunity to make makes whilst they are learning about other new things can help develop children’s mark making skills.
• In your sand area add make marking tools such as paint brushes and toys with wheels on. If your sand tray isn’t too deep with sand then there are many other resources that can be used to make marks. Why not brings some twigs in from outdoors or look around the rest of your room to see what other mark marking tools you could add to your sand area.

The suggestions above are simple ideas that can easily be achieved and don’t forget that these ideas should also be incorporated outdoors. Some settings have created mark making sheds outside and filled the sheds with a range of resources, these are great and look inviting. Having mark making areas allow children to freely access this types of learning independently, but don’t forget that mark making should also be encouraged in other areas.