Mark making isn’t just about pencils or paint on paper. You can make a mark with any part of your body, on any type of surface. Mark making should be about the enjoyment of creating, rather than working on empty, adult directed tasks or goals which can, and often do lead to frustration and lack of engagement.

The children in the Burrow were given lots of paint, chalks, pens and crayons together with an opened out box from a Free Rangers delivery earlier in the week. The space provided was under the arch. The children could choose when to participate and started in a very tame controlled way with their pots and brushes making small marks. This very quickly moved into a much more lively style of mark making where they scribbled with chalks, pens and crayons; dripped paint, spread paint with their hands , walked on paint in their wellies and flicked paint.

The American painter Jackson Pollock was best known for his abstract style where he worked on canvases placed directly on the floor or the wall. His style of art had a direct relation to his emotions, expression and mood.

This reminds me of the art of our two year olds who has been given the opportunity to follow their own style through the use of different media and materials.