55 mark making and writing ideas for classrooms

Let’s making writing irresistible! Use these ideas to set up a writing station in your classroom and invite your children to explore mark-making and writing that’s engaging and delightful.

 

 

55 mark making and writing ideas for classrooms

 

We want our children to be keen and confident writers, but let’s face it, grey pencils on white paper aren’t all that exciting. 

With a few simple materials and clever ideas we can set up a bright, inviting writing station that entices even reluctant writers. 

Try these ideas!

 

 

Writing skills develop from early mark-making, through the formation of letters and words, and then on to full sentences.

Children need to have ample opportunity to explore freestyle mark making, sensory-rich writing, unstructured and structured writing, and practical writing as part of their every day life.

Let’s start by looking at all the things we can write with, and then all the things we can write on.

 

 

Stocking a writing centre with art making tools

Create a writing centre that’s readily available to your children, stocked with interesting things to write with.

You don’t need a large area: a caddy, a desktop or a space on a shelf will do. 

It’s a good idea to have items available in all the zones where your children play, so they can include mark-marking and writing in with all their activities.

 

 

No boring pencils!

Pencils are of course welcome and practical tools for writing but let’s make our writing station pop with all sorts of other enticing things to write with.

Here’s a list of ideas to try. What have you already used? What could you add?

:: coloured pencils

:: thin, thick, or triangular pencils

:: colours pens: markers, ball point pens, in different thicknesses

:: pencils with fun toppers

:: magic pens that you change write over with a ‘magic’ pen to change their colour

:: scented pens

:: glitter pens

:: watercolour pencils

:: wax crayons

:: oil pastels

 

 

:: chalk pastels

:: chalk

:: ink pens

:: things to dip in paint and write with, or to use in a sensory writing tray like paint brushes, sticks, feathers, chopsticks, magic wands, cotton buds, fingers, carrots!

 

 

 

No more boring white paper!

Alongside traditional paper, try a variety of these items to write on:

:: coloured paper

:: patterned paper

:: tissue paper

:: wallpaper

:: rice paper (with food pens)

:: graph paper

:: note pads

:: journals

:: calendars

 

 

 

:: gel bags

:: postcards

:: post-it notes

 

 

:: rainbow writing trays 

:: seasonal writing trays like this, this and this

 

 

 

:: tin foil

:: sand paper

:: big rolls of paper

 

 

And don’t stick to always writing on a horizontal table. Try

:: writing on an easel

:: on the chalk board

:: on the smart board

:: on clipboards

:: on a poster on the wall

:: on the floor of the play ground 

:: on the walls outdoors (try chalk or water and a paintbrush on these last two)

 

 

 

Structured writing activities

For more structured writing activities in your classroom, try:

:: adding stickers

:: rainbow writing sheets

:: I Love… writing printable

:: story spinners

:: All About Me printable

:: Say It, Write It, Make It playdough mats