'Mark making' is the action of making marks on paper with a writing implement and defines the beginning of the journey to literacy - the ability to read and write.  Long before a baby is able to make marks there are skills that must be learned in order to control the body, developing both fine and gross motor skills, as well as a mental grasp of making marks on paper.   Here are some ideas to help your child gain the confidence to make marks and some ways to encourage them at the various stages of development.  From the earliest age babies and toddlers can be preparing to learn writing in later life, and the earlier they start, the more confident they will be.

Up to one year the adult needs to:

• encourage the child to explore
• encourage lots of large muscle control activities such as crawling, rolling
• join in with these activities
• show an interest in random marks
• provide toys that can be gripped easily

18months - 2 years the adult needs to:

• show lots of interest in the marks made
• look at patterns and marks together and try out new shapes to draw and scribbles
• give your child the chance to see your writing and write in front of them (look at books, notes and cards etc)
• provide lots of materials to write with and to write on
• play with your child and imitate their marks and suggest they watch and copy your marks too

2 - 3 years the adult needs to:

• point out your child's name and look at other letters and words in your house/town
• look at shapes and the scribbles together and show a real interest

3 - 4 years the adult needs to:

• show your child how to write letters and words and read them back
• show how to use different writing materials
• talk about letters and pictures the child has drawn
• show how to write notes and cards and lists etc.
• show lots of interest in their creations
• show the child that writing is useful e.g. messages in cards, words in a book, instructions for a game
• encourage them to write their name on their pictures and displays
• identify familiar letters in names
• show them how to hold the pencil correctly

Up to 5 years old, an adult needs to:

• show how to read a book from left to right
• show them different names of people they know and talk about them
• encourage correct letter formation
• encourage a child to talk about their drawings and writing

We all know how important reading is for children and that reading to even the tiniest toddler will help them in so many ways, but it can be frustrating if  you find that your child loses interest after a little while or simply won't settle when you are ready to read a book.

The first thing to remember, is that this is not unusual.  Every child is different and while some love the idea of a book, the pictures, the page turning the flaps etc, others are not interested.   They don't want to lift flaps or look at the pictures.  They consider reading a book as something passive, they sit back and listen and perhaps fall asleep rather than get involved.  Or, they will just lose interest and walk away.  The answer is not to force them to sit, be still and listen.  It is our job to inspire them.

• Find something they are interested in.  Have a chat with your child and find out what they like.  They may not like train books, but love books about animals.  Then, focus on their interest and keep feeding them more of the same.

• Find books that reflect what they have done or recall a recent event.  If they have just been a bridesmaid or been to a castle, find books that relate to this experience.  Start by not even opening the book, but look at the front cover and talk about it.  Then, talk about their own experience.

• Don't assume that children only want stories(ie. fiction). Some are not interested in wizards or fairies but will be more excited by facts.  A book about the body, nature, how cars are made etc may inspire them.

• Don't be too demanding. Don't expect to read pages of words and finish the book each time.  You may not even complete each book you start.  Read a few pages then if you feel it's time to stop, then do!

• You don't even need to read a single word!  Just look at the pictures, talk about the colours and the illustrations.  Compare the pictures to real life or imagine how you would draw the pictures.

• Read at different times. While routine can be great for some children and a book before bed can be an ideal time to set aside.  Don't think that's the only time you can read with your child.  Read before breakfast, or after lunch or take a book out and about to the coffee shop, in a car journey or to the doctor's and read together.

• Make it fun! In winter snuggle under a blanket and have a warm drink together.  In summer take a book to the park and sit on a rug under a tree.

• Don't forget the voices... children adore the funny voices that parents and carers put on when reading a book.  Try to make the book as animated and as compelling as possible.

• Ask your child to choose the book. Try not to dictate which book you read, give them the choice and don't feel aggrieved if they choose the same one they had yesterday.  Children love repetition and familiarity so just read it again or focus on something different this time when you read the book.

• Book activities: A book is more than words: one day how about focusing on the pictures only: count how many sheep in the field or clouds in the sky. Ask your child to find the carrot in the picture or ask what colour the door is.  Make the pictures come alive by asking interesting questions that they can answer and feel involved and inspired by what they find in the book.

Happy reading!

Research has shown that habits made in early years will stay with a child for life; learning is part of that so when the children are young it is a great time to set up some habits that will be good for their learning later in life.  All children benefit from reading books.  If you get into the habit of reading every day at a certain time of day it becomes part of your schedule and is easy to remember.  With a huge selection of books on offer, which are best to choose for your child at different stages of their early years?

Books for Babies and Toddlers Under 2

Children are never too young to enjoy books.  They may not speak, or follow a narrative, or be able to turn a page, but sitting with someone, having a cuddle, reading a colourful book becomes a lovely, comfortable, happy experience and that is what they recall.  They enjoy the attention and the sound of a parent or carer's voice.  They like the feel of the books, the sound of the pages and the colourful pictures. They like the rhymes and the funny voices.

Once they can hold things in their hands, touchy-feely books are great for little ones.  Cloth books are soft (washable!) and gentle to touch.  Activity books have strings, buttons, and fabric to touch.  Flap books have pages that fold out and pictures behind secret little doors.  Board books are great to hold and have even been know to be good for chewing too! There is so much fun to be had!

Books for 2-3 Year Olds

Toddlers love the colours and pictures in books.  They enjoy rhyme and the repetition of some story lines.  They will join in and anticipate what will happen next.  Books that explain or deal with every day occurrences are good for this age (going to nursery, going to ballet lessons, having a new baby etc).  They may even create their own stories.

They will often look at the same book day after day.  The know what happens next and love the idea of anticipating the next page.   Pop-up or flap books are great for this age as they can do it themselves.  And, sturdy board books are advised as they may get handled frequently and roughly!

Pre-School Books for Children Age 4-5

At this age, children love to learn about the world and books that explain this are always popular with pre-schoolers: bugs and animals, schools and hospitals, the Egyptians etc. so they needn't just have fictional stories, non-fiction is of interest too.  Try all sorts of books and discuss each one.  What are the pictures like? What is the text like? Can they find certain letters in the text or count certain elements of the pictures? Try and bring the books alive and be led by your child.  If they ask about dinosaurs, get hold of a book about them and show them.  Visit your local library for access to books on hundreds of interesting topics.

Enjoy the time you have reading with your child and make it as fun as you can.

Writing is a vital skill that children will eventually use over and over again in all subjects at school.  Whether writing up an experiment in a science lesson, writing a story in an English lesson or writing about their favourite sport, writing is unavoidable.  But, learning to write can be tricky to start with and some children are simply put off by all the complications of writing.  This is easily avoidable and because writing is so vital at school and indeed in the adult world too, it's important to introduce children to writing in a fun and positive way.  Then, these early skills will be built upon and writing will be the next step.

Some ideas to make learning to write a positive experience:

1. Spend lots of time talking to your child and listening to them.
2. Read lots of stories - whenever and wherever you can.  Try all sorts of books with all sorts of pictures.  As they get to school age, introduce non-fiction books: how things work, children's books about topics they like such as cars, trains, dancing etc.
3. When writing yourself (shopping lists or notes to school or nursery) encourage your child to watch and see you write words.  Encourage them to write too.
4. Get some fun paper to practice writing on: different sizes, textures, colours etc.
5. Get some good (and fun!) pens and pencils for them to use.
6. Give lots of praise if they do manage to write and don't focus only on their mistakes.
7. Break down the letters when they are learning, so they an see how to build the letter shapes.  (ie. a P is a straight line and a circle at the top.)
8. Once they are beginning to learn, leave messages for your children or post it notes on their bed or door  Write on their chalk board say hello!
9. Put together a photo album and caption the pictures.
10. Send yourselves a postcard if you go away or out for the day.

It can be fun and with a little thought, you'll find that your little ones enjoy writing and begin to make great progress.  Perhaps one day they'll be writing their own blog!

Toddlers can't read, so why do we bother with reading them books?  The answer is simple: one day they will have to learn to read and if they like books, associate them with fun and good experiences, they will be more inclined to want to learn about letters and sounds and eventually reading.

Being able to read a book is a huge and marvelous gift.  It opens the world up for little children and allows them to enjoy the fantastic stories that are available and help them learn at school.  So, by reading to the toddlers and even babies, you're helping them for when they need to learn to read at school and indeed helping on their journey through school.  Plus, even more important at this stage, introducing them to a wonderful world of stories and adventures!

So, what to do to make books fun!  Here are a few tips:

1. Read as often as possible!  You can read a book in bed, while on a journey, in the morning.  Have some cuddly time together when you read and make it cosy and comforting for you both!
2. Try and bring the stories to life by using lots of expressions and funny voices!  It will make your child laugh and will help you get through all the kiddie books without getting bored yourself!
3. Talk about the stories together and try and guess what is going to happen.
4. Let your little on choose the books.  Read the favourites as many times as they want!  Children love things that are familiar so they love hearing books over and over again!
5. Try and encourage the children to say the rhyming bits with you or the catch phrase.
6. Try and get as many book as you can!  Go to the library, book sales, car boot sales and get a wide selection.
7. Allow children to handle books all the time.  Yes, teach them to be careful, but get board books if they are heavy handed and let the look at the pictures, feel the pages and turn the pages.  You don't need to have a shelf of pristine books that no one is allowed to touch.  Better a shelf of books that have been used, and read, and enjoyed for many years!

One day your child will learn to read, and there's a lot that you can do to prepare them and make learning to read an easier task.  Before children can read there are some fundamental principles that they must understand.  They must be able to differentiate letters, words and numbers from pictures, they should be familiar with books and know that pages read from top left to bottom right and they should be able to identify each letter and know the sound that each one makes.  Even with all this there is still a lot more to learn before they can read, but at least they are in good shape to learn more easily.

Teach your child letters from an early age, sing the ABC song so that they learn their alphabet, and have them recognise their name.  Spot letters when you are out and about and play phonic games to help grow familiarity with the sounds of letters.  Write labels for things around your home and put signs up for your child to be able to spot different words.  Part of reading is about being able to read letters and make out a word, but many words have irregular letters and sounds and are more easily learned through recognition by exposure to them over time.

There's no doubt that reading encompasses a lot of different skills and knowledge, but being surrounded by letters and sounds, your child really will absorb the knowledge required to learn to read, and you'll find that they will learn to read more quickly than other children who weren't given this encouragement.

Research has found that the majority of parents read bedtime stories to children under the age of 5; bedtime reading is an important activity offering a number of benefits.  We've talked about the importance of  establishing a routine before, and stories just before bedtime signal that it's soon time to go to sleep.  Stories also offer the oppportunity to wind down and relax, if the children have been jumping around whilst getting ready for bed, they can now calm down again as you sit in a cuddle and they listen to stories.

Stories offer the opportunity for youngsters to hear language and to begin to understand writing and reading.  They are exposed to words and this forms an early foundation in the learning of language.  Very recent research, however, found that for older children who can speak, conversing with them instead of just reading to them is six times more beneficial for them to learn language.  As your children grow older, make sure you talk with them as well as to them, at the end of the day.  Recap what you have done during the day, and if they are at nursery or spending other time away from you, ask them about what they did in that time.

Story time also gives you the opportunity to spend dedicated time with your babies.  You probably spend most of your time with your children, but how much of it do you spend interacting with them directly rather than just pushing them in a buggy or being with them?  The end of the day provides an opportunity to dedicate one on one time with each of your children as they snuggle down, hopefully for a good night's sleep!

Find some exciting new books at the library and go somewhere exciting to read them!  Find a big, big tree in the park and sit underneath the branches.  Or, find some books about ducks and head to the local duck pond.  Organize a book festival in your local park with your friends.  Invite a few other mom's, ask them to bring a book each, and take turns to read their book to the assembled kids.  Once you've finished the stories, have the children act out one of them, have them all choose a character to play (and to avoid conflict, if two or more children choose the same character, just have two 'Mummy bears', or two Princes, it really won't matter to them if you sell the idea!).