Parent guide · Early writing

Mark making activities for toddlers and preschoolers

4-minute read By the Happy Little Doers team

The short answer

Mark making is any time a child makes a line, dot or shape on purpose: in sand, paint, chalk or with a pen.

It builds the hand control and confidence that writing needs later, and it's one of the first steps towards forming letters.

Lines and shapes being traced on a wipe-clean card

The basics

What is mark making?

Mark making is the scribbles, lines and shapes children make before they can write. Every mark counts.

Why it comes before writing

Writing needs strong fingers, a steady hand and control of a line. Big, messy marks build those first, then smaller, more careful ones.

What it looks like by age

Toddlers make big sweeping marks with their whole arm. By 3 or 4, many children draw circles and lines on purpose, and start to copy simple shapes.

Watch

Mark making with wipe-clean cards

Lines and shapes come first, then letters.

Lines and shapes firstStraight lines, then circles, crosses and squares. Each shape builds the control they need for letters.

Trace the shapeStart on the orange dot and follow the dotted line. Then try drawing the shape on their own.

Trace it, wipe itStart at the dot and follow the arrows, with a finger first and then a pen. Wipe it clean and go again!

Activities

8 mark making activities to try at home

Each one uses things you probably already have.

1. Mark making in sand

Fill a tray with sand and trace a shape or letter with a finger. Shake it smooth and go again. Idea from @oak.and.ever: sand tray mark making.

2. Gel bag writing

Seal hair or hand gel and a little paint in a zip-lock bag, lay a card underneath and trace over the top. Idea from @wonder.learn.play: gel bag writing.

3. Painting with water

Give them a pot of water and a big brush, and let them paint a fence, wall or patio. The marks disappear as they dry.

4. Chalk on the ground

Big chalk lines, circles and zigzags on a path. Then try following each other's lines.

5. Finger painting

Dots, swirls and lines with one finger, on a big sheet of paper.

6. Rice or salt tray

Like the sand tray, with a thin layer of rice or salt on a baking tray.

7. Trace shapes on wipe-clean cards

Shapes Flashcards have lines and shapes to trace with a dry wipe pen. Wipe and try again.

8. Trace letters on wipe-clean cards

Once lines and circles are easy, Writing Flashcards show where each letter starts and which way it goes.

Next steps

From mark making to writing letters

Once children can draw lines and circles on purpose, they're ready to start forming letters.

Most letters are made from the same few movements, so letters are easiest to learn in families. Our free letter formation chart shows every letter with a start dot and arrows, and our guide to teaching your child to write covers the whole journey from pencil grip to letters.

Our cards