Getting ready to write

Learning to make marks is the first step towards learning to draw and write. It helps your child learn to control a pencil, draw lines and shapes. Mark making is part of pre-writing. This is where children learn the visual and movement skills required for writing.

Your child will learn faster when it’s a fun activity you do together. You will need to allow plenty of time for colouring, scribbling, and exploring what happens with movement and colour.

Explore the topics in this page:

Left-handed children

Encouraging your child to make marks

Holding a crayon, pen or pencil

Drawing

Drawing diagonal lines and shapes

Left-handed children

By 6 years old, children will show a preference for a specific hand when they do tasks. You may notice that they are:

using a spoon in their left hand and use their right hand to hold the bowl
reaching out for toys using their left hand
catching or stopping balls using their left hand
drawing or using scissors using their left hand

If your child prefers to use their left hand, do not try to make them use their right hand. There is nothing wrong with being left-handed.

Left-handed children can struggle when learning to write. They will often smudge their drawings or writing with their hand.

You can help your child whilst they are learning to make marks by tilting the paper to the right. You can also use a slanted surface like a folder or sloping desk topper to angle the paper/surface.

Encouraging your child to make marks

Learning to make marks is the first step towards being able to control a pencil, draw lines and shapes. Making marks on paper, drawing and writing gives your child the chance to express themselves.

Mark making is part of 'pre-writing'. Pre-writing is where your child learns to see and understand an image, then respond with an action.

There are lots of ways for your child to make marks. Your child doesn’t have to sit at a table with a pencil and paper to express themselves.

You can do the following activities at home:

Making shapes in materials like rice or glitter
Water and foam drawings
Potato printing
Using chalk on a blackboard or an outside wall
Magnetic drawing boards or tablets
Painting
- Using an easel
- Finger painting
- Pompom painting
- Ready-mixed children’s painting
- Watercolour painting
- Painting walls
Using different pens and pencils
Colouring over different textures with crayon or pencils
Drawing on an iPad or tablet

Holding a crayon, pen or pencil

A good way to introduce your child to drawing is using short chunky crayons, pens, and pencils. The way children hold crayons, pens, and pencils will develop over time.

There are lots of stepping stones to holding a crayon, pen, or pencil:

Palmar grasp

Grasping it in their fist.

Digital pronate grasp

Holding it in the palm of their hand.

Static tripod grasp

Holding it using their thumb, index finger and middle finger. They are writing by moving their wrist or arm.

Dynamic tripod grasp

Holding it using their thumb, index finger and middle finger. They are writing by moving their fingers.

Drawing

The stages of drawing development you might see in your child:

Picks up a crayon and scribbles
Picks up a crayon and makes lines and circular scribbles
Copies (adult showing) a vertical line
Copies (adult showing) a horizontal line
Copies (adult showing) a circular action
Starts and stops a vertical line between dots or on a ‘train track’
Starts and stops a horizontal line between dots or on a ‘ladder’
Places circles on a face for eyes and nose
Colours in shapes trying to keep inside the lines.

Once your child can draw vertical lines, horizontal lines and circles they are then ready to try drawing diagonals and putting two lines together.

Drawing together (also known as ‘interactive drawing’) is a great joint activity to do with your child. It helps build confidence and skills. The video below is an example of a child and adult drawing a face together, but you can draw anything that your child likes. You can also colour your drawings together!

Drawing diagonal lines and shapes

Diagonal lines can be very challenging for children. They can require a lot of teaching and practice. It is much easier for your child to trace a diagonal line than to draw it by themselves. Your child will likely be able to trace a diagonal line long before they can draw one.

Tracing and drawing are different skills. Tracing shapes and lines will help your child learn about the shapes. Your child will only learn how to draw shapes and diagonal lines when they draw without tracing.

The first step in your child learning to draw diagonal shapes is to learn what a diagonal is. There are various activities you can do with your child to show them diagonal lines. Here are a few suggestions:
- - Playing a game of spot the diagonal when you are outside with your child, you can find things like a road signs or house roofs
  - Making pictures with diagonal lines using spaghetti, straws or sticks
  - Rolling objects down different angled slopes, these slops can be made from any material like wood, card or plastic
Start by encouraging your child to draw a diagonal line. A forward stroke (lower left to upper right /) is usually easier for children than a backward stroke (upper left to lower right \ )

You can make this easier and more fun for your child by:
- - putting 2 dots close together to be joined, you can then make them further apart as your child becomes more confident
  - drawing a shape with 1 missing diagonal line for example 1 side of a roof is missing
  - drawing a shape with 2 missing diagonal lines, you then draw 1 line and your child draws the other
  - using dot-to-dot, maze and colouring activity books and
Once your child is confident drawing 1 diagonal line, you can then progress to drawing 2 lines together. This will be in a X or a V shape.

Drawing an X will be easier for your child. Your child may find it easier to draw an X in a box. You can make it a fun activity by crossing off the days in a calendar or drawing a building with lots of windows for them to put X in.

Drawing a V can be difficult as they can draw a curve instead of a sharp point. Encourage your child to stop before changing direction. Once they’ve completed the first diagonal line, they should stop and then draw the second line. This should help them keep a point.

You can make this into a little game as you can see in the video.

Last reviewed: 19 January, 2024

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Cambridgeshire

Peterborough

Getting ready to write

Explore the topics in this page:

Left-handed children

Encouraging your child to make marks