In education, ‘mark making’ is increasingly used as a generic term to describe the ways in which children "create and experiment with symbols and marks" for both drawing and writing (e.g., DFES. 2008. Mark Making Matters). However, there is considerable confusion about the meaning of this often-undefined term. 

     Well, yes, young children certainly do make marks when communicating through their early drawings, maps, emergent writing and their Mathematical Graphics, but this is not the whole story. Our concern is that the term ‘mark-making’ lacks clarity and fails to do justice to young children’s powerful thinking and the ways in which children choose to explore and communicate their mathematical thinking. Not only that, but this term suggest that all children's early marks, signs and symbols are the same (whether in their drawings, writing or in their CMG) - which they are clearly not. 

      We are not alone in raising concern about the term ‘mark making’ and in early childhood research the term ‘graphics’ and ‘graphicacy’ are gaining ground (e.g., Anning, 2003; 2004). We originated the term Children’s Mathematical Graphics, and in this context, graphics encompass a wide range of graphical marks, signs and symbols that children choose to communicate their mathematical thinking. Since young children’s personal views of the world are holistic, they do not ‘see’ learning in discrete ‘subject’ areas such as ‘art, ‘literacy’ or ‘mathematics’. As they encode and decode personal meanings they select and adapt from these different symbol systems, inventing personal ways of representing meanings and adopting symbols, fonts, syntax and layouts that best suit their purpose.

The Williams Maths Review recommends that practitioners develop: 

• "A culture with a significant focus on mathematical mark-making in line with early writing through, for example, role-play, making of number books, and the use of popular mathematical mark signage in the environment.
• A learning environment that encourages children to choose to use their own mathematical graphics to support their mathematical thinking and processes" (DCSF, 2008: 37).

    Children’s understanding of ‘written mathematics’ emerge gradually - a significant development as children are coming to understand abstract symbols and how to use them at a deep level. They reveal the highly creative processes children use to explore their mathematical thinking, and are much more than ‘marks’.