I Can Make Marks!
Introduction
If you want to see what goes on inside the mind of a toddler, just give them a mark-making tool and let the symbols they draw be your guide!
Mark making can be described as drawing lines, dots, patterns, textures or any mark in the artwork process. The art can be a planned stroke work or random scribbling. It is a form of self-expression that lays the foundation of creativity and wonder.
A series to explore the world of art and wonder!
Different mark-making tools and mark-making surfaces were explored to experience diverse sensorial effects.
Making marks is not only a medium of communication and expression, but also aids in building the necessary strength in the upper body, shoulders and arms for writing. Moreover, different mark making mediums allow children to strengthen some concepts such as language, literacy and maths along with enhancing their critical thinking and cognitive abilities.
With these primary intentions, the ‘I Can Make Marks’ series was introduced in the class and it was carried forward for almost an entire month. Throughout this series, toddlers were invited to navigate through different colored and textured tools like crayons, soft pastels, markers, chalk, color pencils, paint, highlighters and oil pastels. Different sized brushes and rollers were also explored by the toddlers on various occasions.
The kids were also provided with myriad surfaces like white and black boards, bubble wraps, tissue papers, plastic zip lock bags, coloured papers and mount-boards to experiment the tools upon. In a nutshell, each week was marked by new sets of prompts and provocations that aimed to encourage the toddlers to embark on an imaginative journey of their own.
Colorful Anecdotes
Gradually, the mark-making process witnessed colorful symbolisations by the toddlers. The little-little scribbles/lines had some personal meanings attached which opened the doorway for their imagination!
Avyan and Ditya drew with yellow sketch pens and green crayons respectively and assigned meanings to each one, including different items they see or talk about on a daily basis like their parents, their house, school, different animals and educators’ names.
Instead of painting on a paper, kiaan’s canvas was his own face and he then called himself the fictional superhero named ‘Hulk’.
Aadya’s mark-making tool was her own palms with which she spread the color red all over the brown canvas.
Toddlers seemed to prefer asking the educators to draw something they like. For instnace, Inaaya always demands an ice-creams, which she then pretended to eat. Virika and Aadya explored making marks over the wood and stones on the sensory path and asked the educator to draw their houses and their families over them.
Avyan related paint colors with nail paint and painted his and the educator’s nails with green paint.
Overall, exploring and experimenting is a natural desire in young children and this was tapped into in a very sensorial and physical manner. With every new stroke or squiggles, their imagination thrived and new stories unfolded in the classroom.