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Motivational mark making

Blog
The YPO Team
29 Nov 2022

There are endless possibilities to mark making, it doesn’t just have to involve using pens and paper! Here are seven activities to get those little hands and muscles moving.

Swirly whirly sensory tray

Early years and a perfect way to encourage those little hand movements. Customise your trays with anything you like, we chose coloured rice, but the possibilities are endless!

What you'll need:

306700 - Mirror Tray
759082 - Junior Chubby Brushes
300772 - Coloured Rice

Mark making

Peg-it painting

Run out of paint brushes? No problem! Try clipping tin foil, feathers, dish sponges or anything else that you can find onto a wooden peg for an abstract approach to painting.

What you'll need:

876087 - Large Pegs
A variety of different materials
137251 - A4 Sugar Paper
749818 - YPO Ready Mixed Paint (20 pack)

Child crafting

Creations with cars

A unique take on traditional mark making. Secure pens to moveable cars using tape or rubber bands and let children squiggle away whilst racing their motors! Why not take this activity to the next level and draw a track for the cars to drive around?

What you'll need:

306835 - Wooden Cars
75126X - YPO Broad Tip Colouring Pens
753696 - YPO Elastic Rubber Bands, Assorted Colours
306797 - Play Tray Paper Pad
801661 - YPO Play Tray - Blue
801663 - Adjustable Play Tray Stand

Roller painting

Mash it mark making

Let your little learners create a printed masterpiece by encouraging them to dip their mashers into the different coloured paints and create their designs! They’ll develop those
essential fine motor skills as they grasp the mashers and clasp their fists.

What you'll need:

Potato Mashers
Paper Plates
749818 - YPO Ready Mixed Paint (20 pack)

Arts and crafts

Roly-poly printing

A simple but super effective activity. Wrap rolling pins with bubble wrap, string, corrugated or textured card and ask children to dip it into their paint colour of choice. Then, let their imaginations run wild as they roll over the card in different directions. This is a great way to get those upper body muscles moving.

What you'll need:

716654 - Rolling Pins
720030 - Bubble Wrap
139389 - Corrugated Card
718300 - White Cotton String
736740 - Premium Double-Sided Tape
731188 - Shallow Inking Tray
749818 - YPO Ready Mixed Paint (20 pack)
137251 - A4 Sugar Paper

Child painting

Upside down easel

Who needs a real art easel when you’ve got this activity idea? All you need is a play tray and stand to get started. Children will develop their fine motor skills as they glide their paint brushes up, down and side to side.

What you'll need:

804311 - Adjustable Mini Play Tray Stand
804310 - YPO Mini Play Tray
230235 - Cling Film (450mm wide)
749818 - YPO Ready Mixed Paint (20 pack)
759082 - Junior Chubby Brushes
819247 - Paint Tray and Pots

Arts and crafts

Messy movements

There’s nothing more exciting than messy play! As well as being fantastically fun, it helps develop both big and small movements as children get their hands sticky by mixing and making patterns in the foam.

What you'll need:

Soap Foam
809695 - Fun2Play Activity Tray
809694 - Fun2Play Activity Tray Stand
749818 - YPO Ready Mixed Paint (20 pack)
736982 - Craft BioGlitter
536016 - Dowel (12mm)

Arts and crafts

These activities have been taken from Little Learners, a FREE magazine full of early years resources and activities. Click here to read our latest issue!

Author

The YPO Team

YPO supplies products and services to a wide range of customers including schools, local authorities, charities, emergency services, public sector and other businesses such as nurseries and care homes. YPO are 100% publicly owned, by 13 local authorities, which means the profits made are returned to public sector customers, delivering even better value for money.