Nursery World - EYFS Best Practice - All about… mark making

Why is mark making an important form of early writing and how can practitioners support and resource for it in their settings? Penny Tassoni investigates

Early mark making is the beginning of children’s journey to becoming confident writers when they are older

Observing children’s development is one of the many joys of working in the early years. This is particularly true when it comes to mark making. While babies may enjoy smearing food onto their faces, four-year-olds take great delight in producing strings of letter shapes.

So why is this form of writing so important and how can we promote it in the early years?

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF WRITING

Before looking at mark making and how it supports later writing, it is worth exploring the nature of writing. Writing is language, usually spoken, that has been turned into symbols. Put simply, writing is all about words!

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