Unpack mark-making and what it means in early learning.​

Focus on enhancing your understanding of mark-making and recognising its true value. It transcends mere scribbles.

 Revisit the different stages of drawing.

Elevate your understanding of mark-making by delving into the sequential stages young children advance through.

 

 

Our Play-Based Statement: More than just a scribble

This course embraces play as the foundation of learning and development. Through open-ended, hands-on experiences, educators discover how mark-making naturally emerges within children’s play as a form of communication, exploration, and self-expression.

Mark-Making: A Multi-Dimensional Approach in the Early Years supports educators to:

Recognise how playful exploration fosters creativity, confidence, and early literacy. Design environments rich in sensory and symbolic opportunities for children to express their ideas. Honour children as active meaning-makers, constructing understanding through movement, touch, story, and imagination. Embed mark-making within child-led inquiry and holistic, play-based learning environments. This professional learning aligns with international play frameworks including: Australia’s EYLF v2.0 – “Belonging, Being and Becoming” British Columbia Early Learning Framework Alberta’s FLIGHT Curriculum Ontario’s “How Does Learning Happen?” Philosophy: “Play is not separate from learning — it is learning. Through play, children make marks that reveal their thinking, identity, and joy.

Curriculum

6 Chapters · 13 Lessons

  1. 1

    Introduction to Mark-Making

    1. Welcome and Introduction Free preview
  2. 2

    Defining mark-making

    1. More than just a scribble Free preview
    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Reflective Questions

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      QUIZ

  3. 3

    The physical development side of mark-making

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Mark Making and Physical Development

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Reflective Questions

  4. 4

    Stages of Drawing - Different Theoretical Perspectives

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Different Theoretical Perspectives on Drawing

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Reflective Case Studies

  5. 5

    Adding drawing into the environment

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Adding Drawing to the Environment

  6. 6

    That's a Wrap

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Putting it together

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Mark-Making Toolkit for Educators

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      That's a Wrap

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Feedback Form

Janine Kelly, ECE expert

"Meet Janine Kelly, founder of Stepping Stones Professional Development and a passionate advocate for nurturing children’s creativity and expression through play. With over three decades of experience across Australia and Canada, Janine has guided educators in recognising the rich meaning behind children’s early marks — from the first scribbles to intentional symbols and stories. In this session, she shares how mark-making connects to children’s holistic development, early literacy, and schema-driven exploration, offering practical ways to create environments that inspire curiosity, confidence, and communication through art and play."

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