ABSTRACT
This chapter presents case studies to explore the conventions of making marks. The earliest thing that children explore is what they need to do physically in order to make marks on paper. Even at the age of two or three young children demonstrate that they will use different physical movements for writing from those they use for drawing. Karmiloff-Smith observed that very young children, asked to act like someone drawing, used large movements, keeping the crayon close to the paper. Children also explore signs and symbols within the context of their social and cultural lives. It is important to pay attention to what you hear and to use it to help you understand what the child is paying attention to, interested in or questioning. Like the errors children make, the things they say give you a window into their developing thinking.
