Developing young

children’s mark making and writing

A good practice guide

Contents

A Unique Child Writing Development Positive Relationships Supporting mark making and early writing Enabling Environments Provide a range of interesting mark making surfaces Add a range of mark makers Activities to encourage and strengthen a pincer grip Resources for writing area Developing mark making opportunities in the continuous provision Learning and Development Developing the skills of writing Guidelines to developing handwriting

Guide to the formation of each letter of the alphabet Shared writing Links with the Early Learning Goals Bibliography / Book list

3 4 7 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 22 23 24 26

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‘Through their marks, children

are communicating their ideas, expressing their

feelings, developing their imagination and creativity,

and testing their hypotheses about the world. These opportunities for making

‘thinking visible’ are fundamental to children’s learning and development

and should be the entitlement of every child.’

P4 Mark Making Matters, DCSF, 2008

2

A Unique Child

Every child is a

competent learner from birth who can

be resilient, capable, confident and self-

assured.

Early Years Foundation Stage Principle

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Writing development

Early writing begins to develop from the moment babies make their first marks. These may be on paper using conventional creative materials but are more likely to involve children making patterns in their food, or possibly discovering that foods such as jam and melted chocolate can make interesting marks on their bodies or other available surfaces! Generally, before six months a baby’s actions are reflex and random. By six months they can grasp objects near them and move objects from one hand to another.

By 12 months the child is:

Exploring a wide range of media with fingers and palms of hands including food and drink

Gripping objects using the palm of their hands Beginning to use finger and thumb in a pincer movement Pointing with index finger Showing preference for one hand but uses both

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Sequence of writing development

The child … Holds the pencil/crayon in the palm of

the hand in a fist like grip Makes early attempts at mark making

which feature lots of random marks, often made over other marks; adults may describe this as scribbles

Is usually unable to distinguish between his/her writing and his/her picture

The child … May hold the pencil/crayon in a pincer

grip between the thumb and index finger

Makes a definite attempt to make individual marks

Attempts to close shapes making an inside and an outside; these shapes are often circular

Combines shapes and lines; these marks will often represent one word

The child … Copies adults and makes marks

going across the page; these are often zigzags and wavy lines

Has a clearer idea of the marks he/she wants to make

May use either hand for writing

5

The child … Makes individual marks and uses

some letters from own name to communicate a message

Begins to understand that drawing and writing are different

Is becoming aware that print carries a message

The child … Forms symbols and some recognisable

familiar letters that follow on next to each other

Is becoming aware of the left to right direction of print and can point to where the print begins

Is becoming aware that writing conveys meaning and may ‘read’ own writing

The child … Writes a message using familiar letters Writes some upper and lower case

letters Writes his/her name reliably

The child … Writes most of the alphabet correctly

using upper and lower case letters Writes first one or two letters correctly

then finishes with a jumbled string of letters

Begins to write capital letters and full stops at the beginning and end of work

Writes a longer sentence and can read it back

Attempts familiar forms of writing such as letters and lists

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Positive Relationships

Children learn to

be strong and independent from a base of loving

and secure relationships with parents and/or a

key person.

Early Years Foundation Stage Principle

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To support young children’s early writing the practitioner needs: To know the stages of the development of writing

To provide:

Materials for mark making can include a range of pencils, felt tips, different sized paper, envelopes, little books and recycled cards. Other resources such as alphabet friezes, name cards and magnetic letters are also very useful to support writing.

Meaningful contexts so that children have reasons to make

marks, such as a ‘writing-rich’ environment where writing is encouraged for a wide variety of purposes or when adults take part in writing with children.

Examples of other people writing can include activities such as

staff completing records, parents and carers leaving messages and visits to the local environment to see adults writing in shops, banks or post offices.

To appreciate all attempts at writing made by children and encourage

perseverance. Discuss with children what marks mean. Practitioners help children to understand that their writing is important and valuable, if they take time to talk about it.

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Supporting mark making and early writing

From birth to 11 months:

The adult needs to … Encourage the child to explore. Give the child lots of opportunities to develop their large muscle control

including crawling, rolling, wriggling. Join in with the child’s activity – model movements and actions. Show an interest in the random marks and patterns the child makes. Provide a range of safe toys that can be gripped easily by small hands.

From 8 to 20 months: The adult needs to …

Show interest in the child’s mark making, supported by appreciative and encouraging comments.

Talk about the movements and patterns they make. Encourage large and fine motor movements through different activities.

From 16 to 26 months: The adult needs to …

Give opportunities for the child to see adults writing. Provide a range of mark making materials and talk about the marks

made. Play with the child, imitate his/her marks and model other ways of

making marks. Provide a range of other fine manipulative activities.

From 22 to 36 months The adult needs to …

Point out the child’s name, and draw attention to other print in the environment.

Show interest in the child’s mark making, supported by appreciative and encouraging comments,

Play with the child, imitating his/her marks and model other ways of making marks.

From 30 – 50 months The adult needs to …

Model writing and read it back to the child. Show how to use various writing materials. Talk together about what the child and adult have drawn/written. Let the child see adults writing for a particular purpose, such as

memos, labels, messages and so on. Show interest in all child’s mark making attempts.

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Demonstrate that speech can be recorded in a written form, perhaps by offering to scribe the child’s own caption for a picture or story.

Find opportunities to illustrate that writing communicates a message, for example, make a point of reading instructions for games, construction toys, recipes and so on.

Demonstrate writing for a purpose through letters, shopping lists, labels for displays and so on.

Draw the child’s attention to his/her name on displays, registers or groups and encourage him/her to write mark/name on paintings.

Encourage a comfortable and effective writing grip. Talk about the difference between pictures and text.

From 40 – 60 months The adult needs to …

Draw attention to the text when reading a story, demonstrating left to right and top to bottom.

Talk about the way print works, for example word then a space. Draw attention to the names of other children. Encourage a comfortable and effective writing grip. Encourage correct letter formation. Encourage the child to talk about his/her writing and read it to an adult. In shared reading, draw the child’s attention to features of text such as

direction and repeated words or refrains; big books are particularly useful for this.

Identify letters of the child’s name in shared reading and continue to value the child’s attempts to write his/her own name; compare these with their name card, identifying similarities and differences.

Model writing for different purposes and read back where appropriate. Build up sentences of individual words with a group of children, or

individual child. Help the child to make lists of familiar words. Encourage phonetically plausible attempts at writing words.

From 60+ months The adult needs to …

Have alphabet strips available. Provide a small table word bank. Use modelling with the whole group to reinforce letter formation. Identify individual and small words within words. Help children write down sounds in the order they hear them, to

support phoneme – grapheme correspondence. Offer opportunities to write for different purposes. Provide message boards, post boxes and pigeonholes and model how

to use them.

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Enabling Environments

The environment plays a key role in

supporting and extending children’s

development and learning.

Early Years Foundation Stage Principle

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Provide a range of interesting mark making surfaces …

Transparent sheets

Shades of one colour

Perspex

Rolled or scrolled pieces

of paper

Fabric

Strips left from

trimming work

Long pieces of paper or card

Rolls of lining paper

Thin paper, such as

tissue

Black or white boards

Plastic lids

Black paper

Round pieces of paper or card

Coloured paper or card

Thick textured paper

Wrapping paper

Large and small pieces of card

Squares of paper Tracing paper

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Add a range of mark makers …

Coloured pencils

Lolly sticks

Combs

Thick Crayons

Thin paintbrushes Small sticks

Thick markers

Feathers

Water-soluble pencils or pens

Highlighters

Charcoal

Fine black felt pens

Chalk

Oil pastels

Candles

Old credit cards

Biros

Thin pencils

Thick pencils

Cotton buds

Thin crayons

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Activities to encourage and strengthen a pincer grip …

Squeezing

plasticine, clay or playdough

Pinching a plasticine sausage with fingers and thumb

Using tweezers to pick up pegs,

sequins or beads

Rolling pieces of plasticine or playdough into a ball

between finger and thumb

Pushing and pulling matchsticks in and out of

plasticine

Pegs and pegboards

Playing tiddlywinks

Flicking paper balls into a goal

Pulling buttons or small beads out of playdough or plasticine using index finger and thumb

Tearing paper to make collages

Finger rhymes

Small construction toys such as Lego

Practise rotating a pencil between

thumb and index finger

Sprinkle glitter

Place a small object, such as a rubber, in hand; move between thumb and index finger and then to each

finger tip in turn. Then move the object down the little finger into the palm

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Resources for writing area …

Selection of pencils, pens,

crayons

Pencils in tripod grips

Different sizes, colours, textures and thicknesses of lined and

unlined paper

Assortment of envelopes

Notebooks

Greetings cards

Whiteboards

Keyboard

Telephone

Hole punches

Plastic bulldog clips

Paper clips

Treasury tags Stapler

Clipboards

Rulers

Glue sticks

Pre-printed forms Simple

dictionaries

Sellotape and masking tape

Post boxes Folders

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Developing mark making opportunities in the continuous provision

Practical ideas: Sand – Bury a secret message in the sand, help the children read it encourage children to verbally respond and adult scribe their thoughts, children could respond back and bury a ‘reply’ message. Water – ‘write’ with squirty bottles, add large rollers and paint brushes, add food colouring to the water. Put a message in a bottle in the water tray, read what it says, provide empty bottles for children to put their own ‘written’ responses back into. Outside – Adult model a weather chart / bird spotting chart and so on (mark making / ticks for tally charts …) and leave for children to add to. Make marks outside with ice cubes / large ice cubes (margarine tubs) with dowel through to make large motor ‘writing’ movements on the ground. Boys love this! Creative workshop / painting area – Adult scribe how to mix paint, add photographs of children doing each step, laminate and leave in the area so that children can refer to it when making colours. Add large rolls of wallpaper paper and a range of mark making tools to encourage big movements Role-play – Adult act as scribe to make ‘mind maps’ of ideas linked to a role-play area (or topic/theme) for example what do the children want to include in the ‘secret agent spy base’? Adult scribes the children’s responses; models verbally letter formation and asks children for initial phonemes of the listed words. Basic drawings could be added to support visual learners. Follow up by offering large sheets of wallpaper in the outside area for children to make their own ‘mind maps’ (this approach could be used in many areas of the provision). Add old mobile phones, pads, and pens Adult model and leave for children to self-select using old registers / diaries / notebooks / calendars. Support boy’s interests by adding boy themed resources, such as a dinosaur notepad, pencil toppers and so on. Construction – Adult act as role model to scribe how a construction was made, leave the writing in the area, add clipboards for children to write a reflective account of how the construction was made or step-by-step instructions of how to make something. Add photographs of the construction process, add written captions and display in the construction area (visual reference for staff and children). Writing area – Put a story starter / letter inside a ‘special box’ adult read it out and prompt the children to continue the ‘story’ (for example a letter from the giant asking why Jack took his hen). Add real 1p stamps and envelopes to engage the children to write a letter. Small world play – add post it notes so children can label, name or add captions to go with the animals, vehicles and so on.

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ICT- Encourage children to self register by word processing their initial / name when starting the session. In any areas of the continuous provision provide on the wall at child height small white boards and pens, pose questions and encourage the children to respond in writing (Where do the pencils go?, Watch out wet paint! and so on) Some starting points to encourage a written response-

Adult scribe a reflective account of what they did that day, children have a go at writing what they did or adult scribe.

Hide a message and a secret key under a stone outside Hang a photograph / picture of a favourite character add a message,

attach from a branch outside or a door handle Suspend a letter / message from the string of a balloon Write a tiny message - who could it be from? … a mouse and so on Make a massive message - who could it be from? … a giant and so on.

‘Becoming literate in the earliest years is bound up with trying to

behave like a reader and a writer and gradually getting the

pretending closer and closer to the real thing. Playing and

investigating are, therefore, very significant activities for the

emergent reader and writer.’

The Development of Language and Literacy by Marion Whitehead

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Learning and Development

Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates

and all areas of Learning and

Development are equally important and

inter-connected.

Early Years Foundation Stage Principle

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Developing the skills of writing Knowledge Physical

development Understanding of purpose

22 – 36 months

Developing a spoken vocabulary.

Engages in activities requiring hand -eye co-ordination. Developing control over mark making tools. Manages body to create intended movements. Responds to rhythm.

Shows interest in pictures and print in books and in the environment.

30 – 50 months

Understands concept of a word. Recognise rhythm in spoken words. Show awareness of rhyme and alliteration.

Uses one-handed tools with increasing control. Draws lines and circles using gross motor skills. Hears and discriminates general sounds, speech sounds and patterns.

Ascribes meaning to marks. Reads back own mark making. Knows print carries information.

40 – 60 months

Knows initial phoneme in spoken words. Can continue a rhyming string. Can identify some phoneme/grapheme correspondences. Extends spoken vocabulary. Recognises some familiar words.

Begin to form letters correctly. Manipulates objects with good fine motor skills. Develops muscle tone to put pencil pressure on paper.

Uses language for a range of purposes. Uses writing as a means of communicating to audience (role-play).

ELGs Begin to form simple sentences using some punctuation. Uses phonic knowledge to write simple words and attempt more complex words. Can name and sound letters of the alphabet.

Hold pencil effectively with comfortable grip. Forms recognisable letters most correctly formed.

Writes own name. Writes different forms for example captions, labels, lists. Attempts writing for different purposes. Uses talk to organise thinking, feelings and so on.

Y1 Uses upper and lower cases appropriately. Can write simple sentences.

Can show awareness of topic through some words and phrases.

Guidelines to developing handwriting

Pencil control If children are to develop a fluent and fast handwriting style, they must learn to hold a pencil with a grip that is relaxed but allows for efficient control of the pencil. If children grip a pencil too tightly, they will not develop a free-flowing movement and they will tire very quickly. Experts agree that children should be encouraged to hold the pencil between the thumb and forefinger with the pencil resting on the third finger. The thumb and forefinger should also be able to move slightly so that very fine movements required for writing are possible. Care should be taken that children do not grip the pencil too tightly, as this produces tenseness in the arm and shoulder and increases pressure on the paper. Taken from ‘The National Literacy Strategy; Developing Early Writing’ 2001 Children should be allowed to pick up their writing tools themselves and decide which hand they prefer. As children begin to discover their preferred hand for holding a pencil and once they are confidently using flowing movements, they can be introduced to smaller, more controlled activities. Some children’s previous experience of print forms in languages other than English may have prepared them for the movements required to write English letters. Other children will need to learn there are differences in the directionality of English and other print systems. Support for left-handed children Model letter formation such as skywriting, specifically for left-handed

children, with your left hand. Make sure that left-handed children sit on the left of right-handed children,

otherwise their writing arms will clash. Put a mark at the left side of the page to indicate where writing begins as

some left-handed children mirror-write from the right. Left-handed children usually need to have the paper slightly to the left of

centre of their body and should be encouraged to tilt their work clockwise so they can see what they have written.

Experiment with seat height – some left-handed children may need a higher seat to view their work clearly and prevent the elbows locking into their sides as they work across the paper.

To avoid smudging their work: - left handed children should be encouraged to position their fingers about 1.5 cm away from the end of their writing implement - the pencil should sit in the ‘V’ between thumb and finger, sitting parallel to the thumb - the wrist should be straight Writing from left to right is more difficult for left-handed children, They

should, therefore, be given more attention in the classroom to ensure that they do not learn bad habits of position, posture and pen hold which will deter a fast, fluent and legible hand.

Taken from ‘The National Literacy Strategy: Developing Early Writing’ 2001

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Posture It is as important for children to develop good posture as well as a good pencil grip. Children spend a large proportion of their time writing; sitting awkwardly can be very painful and may slow down a child’s writing. Tables need to be large enough for the children and at an appropriate height. Also the paper may need to be tilted, according to the right/left handedness of the writer. Children’s names Children’s names are an excellent source of learning for both phonics and handwriting. As they are personal to them, children begin to recognise the first letters in their names and later, often try to reproduce them in various forms. Children’s names and other forms of environmental print encourage them to engage in print and provide an important focus for adults and children to talk about literacy.

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Guide to the formation of each letter of the alphabet

Taken from ‘The National Literacy Strategy; Developing Early Writing’ 2001

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Shared writing

Shared writing gives children opportunities to see an adult write and make the connection between spoken language and the written word. It can help them develop vocabulary, an awareness of sentence composition and phonic knowledge. As adults share writing, for example, scribing a child’s caption for a picture or photograph or writing a shopping list in role-play, they are explicitly modelling the writing process. This gives a clear message that everyone has to think about what to write and how to write it. Slow your writing down and talk about what you are writing for example:

Where do I begin writing? Say each word as you write it. Point out spaces. What sound does this word begin with? How do I write the word ‘the’?

Sometimes a deliberate mistake can demonstrate children’s awareness of what is being written and show that even adults make mistakes in writing and they can be corrected. Younger children will probably participate in shared writing through child-initiated activities. As they progress to the end of the reception year, shared writing will be linked with phonic knowledge and can be a whole group activity. Children should be encouraged to compose their own sentences and stories. They do not have to write them down, as just saying them to someone to scribe is sufficient. Their written composition can begin when other skills/knowledge such as letter formation and pencil control have already been achieved.

‘Very young children who are given rich opportunities to explore

making marks within an encouraging emotional

environment will become confident and competent communicators,

both orally and on paper, in all six areas of learning and

development.’

P2, Mark Making Matters, DCSF, 2008

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Links with the Early Learning Goals

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Dispositions and Attitudes

Be confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and speak in a familiar group. Communication, Language and Literacy

Language for Communication Listen with enjoyment, and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems. Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener. Language for Thinking Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events. Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences. Linking Sounds and Letters Link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words. Reading Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts. Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently. Know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom. Writing Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words. Attempt writing for different purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions. Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions, and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation. Handwriting Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy

Shape, Space and Measure Talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Design and Making Build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources and adapting their work where necessary.

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Physical Development Movement and Space Move with control and coordination. Using Equipment and Materials Use a range of small and large equipment. Handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control.

Creative Development

Being Creative – Responding to Experiences, and Expressing and Communicating Ideas Respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. Express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings by using a widening range of materials, suitable tools, imaginative and role-play, movement, designing and making, and a variety of songs and musical instruments. Exploring Media and Materials Explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions. Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative and role- play and stories.

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Bibliography / Book List Author Date Title Publishers Basic Skills Agency 2005 Language and Play – Home

Time The Basic Skills Agency

Ros Bayley and Lynn Broadbent

2005 Flying start with literacy Network Educational Press

Ros Bayley and Lynn Broadbent

2001 Let’s Write! 50 Exciting Starting Points for Writing Experiences

Lawrence Educational Publications

Clare Beswick 2004 The Little Book of Language Fun

Featherstone Education Ltd

Helen Bromley 2006 Making my own mark Early Education Nicola Call 2003 The Thinking Child Network Educational

Press Ltd Helen Campbell 2002 The Little Book of Writing Featherstone

Education Ltd Robin Campbell 1996 Literacy in Nursery

Education Trentham Books Ltd

Lesley Clarke 2002 Writing Through Role Play Traveltapes Limited Jenni Clarke and Sally Featherstone

2008 Young Boys and Their Writing

Featherstone Education Ltd

Sue Day and Ros Bayley

2007 Supporting Children’s Writing Development in the Early Years

Lawrence Educational Publications

Department for children, schools and families

2008 The Early Years Foundation Stage

DCSF Publications

Department for children, schools and families

2008 Mark Making Matters DCSF Publications

Department for Education and Employment

2001 The National Literacy Strategy – Developing Early Writing

DfEE Publications

Derby City Education Service

2003 Literacy in the Foundation Stage

Derby City Education Service

Early Years Education

2003

Developing literacy skills Early Years Education

Sally Featherstone and Clare Beswick

2004 Make your mark Featherstone Education

Ragnhild A. Oussoren

2000 Write Dance Paul Chapman Publishing

Sue Palmer and Ros Bayley

2005 Foundations of Literacy Network Educational Press Ltd

Ann Roberts 2002 The Little Book of Props for Writing

Featherstone Education Ltd

Penny Tassoni 2006 Making their mark – children’s early writing

Early Education

Hilary White 2005 Developing Literacy Skills in the Early Years

Paul Chapman Publications

Marian Whitehead 1996 The Development of Language and Literacy

Hodder & Stoughton

Dr Richard C. Woolfson

2001 Bright Baby Hamlyn

Dr Richard C. Woolfson

2001 Bright Toddler Hamlyn

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Produced by: Early Years Teaching and Learning Team Updated February 2010