Lay the foundation by encouraging your child to draw or make marks in various ways. Children’s scribbling is more than just that. Those lines and circles represent thoughts and ideas. Over time, their mark-making takes shape to form ‘my mommy’, ‘my house’ and so on. They use their drawings to communicate, thus paving the way for writing later on.
On the other hand, drawing allows children to gain control over tools like crayons and markers. Once they acquire their pencil grip, they can write their ABCs more smoothly.
Avoid drilling the perfect handwriting because once children find pleasure in making marks, they will pick up the conventions of writing without needing extra motivation. Follow these tips on getting your child to enjoy mark making.
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Access to drawing materials
Place the materials within their reach. Apart from paper, clear plastic sheets and aluminium foil can be explored with erasable markers and paint, among other things. Allow children to get messy, so that they can express themselves freely.
Talk about their drawings
Show interest and ask them what they THINK they have drawn and build a conversation.
Display their drawings
Pinning up drawings on the fridge, for instance, encourages children to revisit their self-made ‘posters’. You will be surprised at how much detail they can recall from their drawing, especially after the age of four. Alternatively, you can compile it into a scrapbook which they can enjoy flipping through time and again.