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mumofone
07-03-2016, 02:20 PM
Is colouring in considered mark making and therefore literacy for writing?

bunyip
07-03-2016, 02:56 PM
I'm honestly not sure about this one.

Mark-making used to be considered a literacy skill, and I still regard it as such.

But someone, somewhere in the EY Police hierarchy seems to have changed it at some point. I think the 'official' line is that mark-making is a purely physical 'fine motor' skill in the Early Years.

:( Personally, I dislike the whole 'official' EY approach of breaking a child's personality and achievements into lots of little quantum bits. I wish we had a more holistic view of the child. (Anyway, I don't have any 'official' children - just a little bunch of lovely little anarchists. :D )

hectors house
09-03-2016, 07:28 PM
I'm honestly not sure about this one.

Mark-making used to be considered a literacy skill, and I still regard it as such.

But someone, somewhere in the EY Police hierarchy seems to have changed it at some point. I think the 'official' line is that mark-making is a purely physical 'fine motor' skill in the Early Years.

:( Personally, I dislike the whole 'official' EY approach of breaking a child's personality and achievements into lots of little quantum bits. I wish we had a more holistic view of the child. (Anyway, I don't have any 'official' children - just a little bunch of lovely little anarchists. :D )

In the 2008 EYFS it stated quite clearly that mark making by babies & young children (even smearing a rusk around the highchair tray) was early writing skills, then in the 2012 version it states that "early mark making is not the same as writing" !

mumofone
10-03-2016, 12:56 PM
In the 2008 EYFS it stated quite clearly that mark making by babies & young children (even smearing a rusk around the highchair tray) was early writing skills, then in the 2012 version it states that "early mark making is not the same as writing" !

It's interesting that they've done a complete u turn on this, crazy.

I'm Undecided on where I stand on this..

bunyip
10-03-2016, 05:46 PM
I know exactly where I stand on this and other issues. The children have far better idea than the so-called educational experts. :p

FloraDora
10-03-2016, 06:58 PM
Taken from the 'let kids create ' website:

'Colouring helps a child practice holding a writing tool the correct way and aids in developing those tiny muscles in their hands, fingers, and wrist.

2- Coloring aids in hand-eye coordination as the child learns to color within the specified area.

3- Children develop the skill of patience and learn to focus on details when coloring. Such a sense of accomplishment is achieved when a coloring page is completed.

4- Coloring allows a child to relax and be comfortable while creating a piece of art. Children can fill in the figures and shapes on the page any way they choose, whereas drawing can sometimes be a little intimidating that the outcome won't be exactly as they wanted.

5- Coloring a simple printed page helps a child to recognize color, hue, line, perspective, shape and form. It also helps a child to see and recognize patterns - a pre-reading and pre-math skill.

6- Eventually a child can even learn to plan as they decide the colors they will use in their picture and then what order they are going to color things within the picture.

7- Last, but not least, coloring can allow you and your child to have some quality quiet time together. It can provide a wonderful time to sit and chat with your child. '

However I think all the above applies when the child is proficient.

Holding the writing tool correctly is a good objective for under 4's.

However I think there are lots more interesting ways of practising this and Mark making. Occasionally it is fine to let them have a very simple colouring sheet - a follow up to a story or a topic say.
I do have some colouring sheets in my writing corner - with numbers / letters in for corresponding colours - but my LO's rarely choose them.

I like Herve Tullet - The scribble book - I use it for ideas when I sit and scribble with them. When I was last inspected the children chose picture frames to put on the table with paper in and they scribbled inside Then they hung them on suction hooks - inspector liked : free choice available and that they were independent in what they chose, ability to hold pencils well, clear round scribble shapes developing, how proud they were of their scribbles and their friends pictures too.
The idea came from this book.

bunyip
10-03-2016, 07:50 PM
Outstand post, Flora Dora, which I have already copied and printed for future reference. :clapping:

On a slightly different note, my pub landlord uses these colouring sheets when some of his patrons visit his car park: Bad parking printable notice Turtle coloring sheet (http://websiteworld.com/sucky-parking-notice-knoxville-tn/)

:D

loocyloo
10-03-2016, 08:40 PM
Thanks Floradora, great post. I've got something similar written down from a course I did many years ago.

I was just thinking about the thousands of parents who now 'do colouring' (even the daddies) and how it is something the children see, so they are likely to want to colour as well. What we need to do now, is get people drawing and colouring without the colouring books!

mumofone
12-03-2016, 07:29 AM
In the 2008 EYFS it stated quite clearly that mark making by babies & young children (even smearing a rusk around the highchair tray) was early writing skills, then in the 2012 version it states that "early mark making is not the same as writing" !

Is it accepted still though that early mark making is at least a pre-cursor to writing?

FloraDora
12-03-2016, 07:57 AM
Yes - but there is so much more to mark making too.

This is taken from a 2008, now archived publication in response to the Williams review. It was written to aid teachers in understanding and supporting early mark making and is a great booklet - even has examples from childminder settings - I will try to put the link in at the end.

Within the context of an active play-based learning environment, children will have many different ways of representing their thoughts and feelings in the early years. Some will choose music, dance or song, others will prefer to tell stories through role-play, drama or using small world resources, but most will at some point be naturally drawn to represent their ideas graphically. When children realise that marks can be used symbolically to carry meaning, in much the same way as the spoken word, they begin to use marks as tools to make their thinking visible. These marks will support the developing concepts of mathematics and language in relation to their play. A sensitive practitioner will recognise that children make marks for many different reasons and that development along this journey is complex, depending as much on confidence, motivation and dispositions as on their physical skills or ability.
Sometimes marks are made for the pure physical enjoyment of the activity – the feel of the felt-tip pen as it glides over the surface of the whiteboard or the chalk as it grates over the bumpy tarmac, the sight of the brightly-coloured dribbles of paint as they run down the paper on the easel, or the sensation of the glue, oozing between children’s fingers as they spread it over the paper. On these occasions children have no interest in an end product at all; the physical activity is an end in itself and an opportunity for them to experiment and explore with their senses, developing confidence and dexterity through the process.
At other times children may take delight in using their mark making to tell stories and express their feelings through pictures and symbols of increasing sophistication. They may decide that their mark making only tells half the story and choose to provide a full narrative which they invite the practitioner to ‘scribe’.
On yet other occasions they may be intrigued by an object or an event and be more concerned with recording exactly what they see, through careful scientific observation and meticulous draughtsmanship, than producing a more imaginative interpretation.
Alternatively, they might discover that they can use marks to help them to make sense of their world,
to solve problems or discover solutions to their lines of enquiry. Children’s fascination with numbers, especially large numbers or those that are particularly meaningful to them, or representations of shape and space, can often be observed in this context.
A single drawing may help a child to develop concepts relating to problem solving, reasoning and numeracy or knowledge and understanding of the world, as well as improving their physical coordination. It is important that practitioners take time to observe, listen and analyse children’s mark making to understand the context and purpose, celebrate achievements and, where appropriate, enrich or extend their thinking.
[/I]
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202093118/http://downloads.nationalstrategies.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.co m/pdf/391e7073dec37738097d4274b20f4b3f.pdf

BallyH
12-03-2016, 09:42 AM
Yes - but there is so much more to mark making too.

This is taken from a 2008, now archived publication in response to the Williams review. It was written to aid teachers in understanding and supporting early mark making and is a great booklet - even has examples from childminder settings - I will try to put the link in at the end.

Within the context of an active play-based learning environment, children will have many different ways of representing their thoughts and feelings in the early years. Some will choose music, dance or song, others will prefer to tell stories through role-play, drama or using small world resources, but most will at some point be naturally drawn to represent their ideas graphically. When children realise that marks can be used symbolically to carry meaning, in much the same way as the spoken word, they begin to use marks as tools to make their thinking visible. These marks will support the developing concepts of mathematics and language in relation to their play. A sensitive practitioner will recognise that children make marks for many different reasons and that development along this journey is complex, depending as much on confidence, motivation and dispositions as on their physical skills or ability.
Sometimes marks are made for the pure physical enjoyment of the activity – the feel of the felt-tip pen as it glides over the surface of the whiteboard or the chalk as it grates over the bumpy tarmac, the sight of the brightly-coloured dribbles of paint as they run down the paper on the easel, or the sensation of the glue, oozing between children’s fingers as they spread it over the paper. On these occasions children have no interest in an end product at all; the physical activity is an end in itself and an opportunity for them to experiment and explore with their senses, developing confidence and dexterity through the process.
At other times children may take delight in using their mark making to tell stories and express their feelings through pictures and symbols of increasing sophistication. They may decide that their mark making only tells half the story and choose to provide a full narrative which they invite the practitioner to ‘scribe’.
On yet other occasions they may be intrigued by an object or an event and be more concerned with recording exactly what they see, through careful scientific observation and meticulous draughtsmanship, than producing a more imaginative interpretation.
Alternatively, they might discover that they can use marks to help them to make sense of their world,
to solve problems or discover solutions to their lines of enquiry. Children’s fascination with numbers, especially large numbers or those that are particularly meaningful to them, or representations of shape and space, can often be observed in this context.
A single drawing may help a child to develop concepts relating to problem solving, reasoning and numeracy or knowledge and understanding of the world, as well as improving their physical coordination. It is important that practitioners take time to observe, listen and analyse children’s mark making to understand the context and purpose, celebrate achievements and, where appropriate, enrich or extend their thinking.
[/I]
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202093118/http://downloads.nationalstrategies.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.co m/pdf/391e7073dec37738097d4274b20f4b3f.pdf
Wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to share.