Our Story

Sunny Markers are designed and developed by a Kiwi Occupational Therapist living in Melbourne. Through our experience and passion with working with children, we have found fine motor skills to be the foundation for independence and have such a big impact on children's emergent literacy, communication, connection and learning. It is therefore our vision at Sunny Markers for all children to be able to express themselves and connect to their world as confident and involved learners.
An image of Claudia, a woman, with her laptop smiling outdoors

Our Story

Hi! My name is Claudia and I am an Occupational Therapist from New Zealand.

Working as an occupational therapist within the community setting - including in homes, schools, kindergartens and workplaces - I am always having conversations surrounding fine motor skills and the ways in which stationery impacts confidence, independence, communication and creativity for both children and adults alike.

I invented our original Sunny Markers™ to be a tool to help support the many children and adults I saw on a daily basis to improve fine motor strength, control and coordination; whilst also reducing fatigue and stress on the fingers and hand, and supporting a functional pen grasp.

A child holding a Sunny Marker with a piece of paper and more Sunny Markers markers nearby

Short and thick writing tools are recommended byoccupational therapists as they build intrinsic muscles in the hands and fingers for increased strength and endurance when colouring, drawing and writing, as well asopen the web space between the finger and thumb to develop a functional grasp and dexterity.

Thick writing tools also reduce stress and fatigue on the hands and fingers, meaning more enjoyment when writing, colouring or drawing, for longer periods of time.

Two child's drawings alongside Sunny Markers inside of a pencil case

The problem I faced was that I was constantly finding the only options on the market for shortand thick writing tools were crayons. Although great, individuals often do not get the desired results due to crayons light touch on paper.

Two people looking at a laptop screen with makers displayed

After scouring the market looking for similarly designed markers and not finding any, we decided to come up with a solution ourselves. It is in this way, Sunny Markers came to be!

Since the invention of our original Sunny Markers™, we have continued to extend our range, driving towards our ultimate goal - empowering every individual by crafting stationery for all ages and abilities. Stationery made Easy - Easy Hold, Easy Open, Easy Use.

Thank you for your support!
Claudia