Identity building
Your baby will develop their own distinctive writing style as they learn to write, something that is truly theirs. How often can you tell who has sent mail solely by looking at the writing on the envelope? Your baby’s written identity is in the making.
What happens when your baby first starts to make marks
Wonder – Firstly, marvel in the moments when you notice the wonder showing in the eyes of your baby as their hand sweeps across the paper and they see a trail follow.
Motor planning – Your baby is discovering how to use their muscles to hold onto and control a piece of chalk or a crayon. They are beginning to realise that they have the power to create an action with a lasting effect. This is something new and exciting.
Motivation – In time, their movements will become more planned. As they grow and develop, you will see them decide where they want to make a mark and their actions will become guided by motivation and intrigue.
Visual development – Their eyes track movement as their hand glides across the paper. For this to happen, your baby needs to have good body stability and control of their head.[1] As they reach across paper, they will also rely on postural stability to keep them upright.
Control – For now, your baby will be motivated to learn about how their movements can make a line appear. This initial exploration stage will see them make marks erratically. These early explorations will help them develop control of their grip and movement.
Writing and the brain
In our digital world, many adults aren’t writing as much as they used to and are likely to write much less in the future. But writing is brilliant for our brains.[2]
Your baby’s brain constantly passes messages around the body, and it controls everything they do. At first, making marks will be difficult – there is so much for your baby to think about, such as speed of movement, hand grasp and a sense of where the paper ends.
Each time your baby creates a scribble, the connections become stronger. Their learning then becomes more advanced as they work out challenges like spatial awareness, attention, planning and balance. The more they scribble, the more each challenge becomes manageable.
This is your baby’s first chapter in their book of discovering the art of writing.
References:
[1] Von Hofsten, C. (2004). An action perspective on motor development. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences Vol.8 No.6 June 2004.
[2] Edwards, S.J., Gallen, D.B., McCoy-Powlen, J.D., Suarez., M.A. (2018). Hand Grasps and Manipulation Skills. Slack Incorporated.