Your child is safely tucked in his car seat as you
wait at an intersection for the red light to change. Suddenly, his tiny
fingers point out the window at a billboard featuring a smiling cow and he
happily exclaims, “Milk!”
You are surprised and happy as you think that your child just read his first
word. Or did he?
Not exactly. Beginning at an early age, many children begin trying to
understand the signs, labels, logos and print they see regularly around
them. They are not really reading, but they are using their growing
knowledge of the world and interaction with adults to give meaning to some
of the familiar words they see. Researchers call this “environmental print
awareness” (Westwood, 2004).
Along with sharing books and stories with children, encouraging their early
awareness of words seen in the world around them can be a great opportunity
to build the kind of warm, supportive relationship that will help children
on the road to literacy.
Print is
everywhere.
Environmental print awareness is found in every culture that uses
a written language. And nearly every child develops the skill, but it does
not mean that your child is actually reading. It shows that your little one
is beginning to understand that printed words have meaning, even if the
child is too young to actually read words.
Parents and caregivers should encourage and support their children’s natural
curiosity about written words and signs. There’s no shortage of
opportunities around the house, in the car, or strolling through the
neighborhood to encourage your child’s interest in words. And doing so can
be a lot of fun.
As children’s curiosity about print grows, they might point at a word and
ask what it says or means (Goodman, 1986). Tucked in his high chair, your
little boy reaches for the box of cereal on the table and asks, “What’s
that?” “Oat Rings,” you say. And pretty soon, he sees the logo on the box
and knows that it contains one of his favorite foods.
The shape of
things.
When children are surrounded by print, they are continuously trying to
explore, understand, interact and figure out the words and symbols
they see (Clay, 1993; Goodman, 1986). In fact, children are usually
able to recognize environmental print before they are able to read
print in books (Kuby & Aldrige, 2004; Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998).
It apparently is not the words or letters they are reading. Instead,
they seem to recognize words written in a familiar way by the color,
shape and background of the lettering.
In the 1960s researchers became interested in testing how children
read environmental print (Teale & Sulzby, 1986). Many studies in
recent years have tested this and found, for example, that children
were far more likely to identify a familiar word such as “Coca-Cola”
if it appeared like it does on the soda can of the popular drink than
if it was shown as plain lettering on a plain background (Hiebert,
1978).
In one study, 20 kindergartners who had no formal reading instruction
were shown familiar words such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and milk. When
the words were presented as they normally appear on the side of a can
or a restaurant sign, 69 percent of the children correctly identified
them. When the same words were presented in a less familiar context,
the number of correct answers fell to 32 percent (Goodall, 1984).
A big step forward.
So if a child isn’t actually reading, then what is going on? Children
use the knowledge they already have about print and they pretend to
read it. Environmental print awareness is a sign that she is beginning
to understand that the print she sees means something.
Children are surrounded by words and letters. Just look around you:
billboards, soup cans, stop signs, restaurant names, popsicle boxes,
the logo on your car, a favorite T-shirt. The list is endless.
Long before they start school, children begin developing the skills
needed to read and write. So what happens at home is one of the most
important factors in a child’s development.
Just as reading together and sharing stories can help children learn
to read and write, you can use everyday opportunities to encourage
their curiosity about the words around them in fun, playful and
positive ways.
What does it mean?
What shape is it?
What color is it?
What letters or numbers are in it?
Why is that word there? (Fingon, 2005)
Don’t worry if the answers are correct. The important thing is to make it
a positive experience that both of you share. Your encouragement and support
of your child’s curiosity in the printed word will help him get exited about
being a future reader!
While environmental print awareness is not really reading, it is one step on
the road to literacy. It shows that your child is finding new ways to make
sense of the world around her and developing an awareness that words have
meaning. This can be an exciting and fun time for both of you. So enjoy the
experience together.
Helpful Parenting Tips
Around the time your child is 2, look for signs that he or she is becoming curious about print, for instance, when he asks you to write his name.
Encourage your child’s curiosity about environmental print by following her lead and answering question about the words and labels she sees.
Look for opportunities to point out common words your child sees every day, such as street signs or labels.
Make a game out of the labels your child sees every day. Take a “word walk” to look for print around the house and neighborhood.
Ask your child, “What does this say?” And be supportive and encouraging even if he doesn’t get the answer right.
Don’t push your child to learn letters of the alphabet before she is ready – but do answer questions about them if she asks.
Children learn best through positive interactions with you!
References:
Clay, M. M. (1993). An observation survey of
early literacy achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Fingon, J. C. (2005). The words that surround us.
Teaching Pre K-8, 35(8), 54-55.
Goodall, M. (1984) Can four-year-olds “read” words
in the environment? Reading Teacher, 37(6) 478-482.
Goodman, Y. (1986) Children coming to know
literacy. In W. H. Teale & E. Sulzby (Eds.), Emergent literacy:
Writing and reading (pp. 1-14). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Hiebert, E. H. (1978). Preschool children’s
understanding of written language. Child Development,
49(4), 1231-1234.
Kuby, P., & Aldridge, J. (2004) The impact of
environmental print instruction on early reading ability.
Journal of Instructional Psychology, 31(2), 106-114.
Teale, W.H., & Sulzby, E. (1986). Emergent literacy
as a perspective for examining how young children become writers
and readers. In W.H. Teale & E. Sulzby (Eds.), Emergent
literacy: Writing and reading (pp. vii-xxv). Norwood, NJ:
Ablex.
Westwood, P. (2004). Learning to read. In
Reading and learning difficulties: Approaches to teaching and
assessment. London: David Fulton.
Whitehurst, G. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child
development and emergent literacy. Child development,
69(3), 848-872.
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Children are surrounded by words and letters. Just look around you:
billboards, soup cans, stop signs, restaurant names, popsicle boxes,
the logo on your car, a favorite T-shirt. The list is endless.
Around the time your child is 2, look for signs that he or she is becoming curious about print, for instance, when he asks you to write his name.
