Building Literacy Skills- Environmental print

So, you’re driving in the car and you hear a voice shout out from the back:

“Mommy! Let’s go to McDonalds for lunch!!” 

It seems like every kid can recognize those golden arches (brilliantly effective marketing!). As frustrating as it is to have the ‘No, we’re not going to McDonalds for lunch. We’re going home for lunch.‘ discussion (been there- and we don’t even really eat at McDonald’s), you can instead respond in praise and bask in how bright your child is because he or she can recognize and identify environmental print-a valuable early literacy skill!

So- what exactly is environmental print? It’s just as it sounds…the print in your environment: signs, symbols, numbers, words that are found everywhere around you. Because kids ‘see’ these things all the time they have a lot of practice each day recognizing and then internalizing letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. With a little help they can apply this knowledge to the literate processes of reading and writing, making connections with what they know.

You can help your child connect the environmental print they see all around them with the functional print they will use in school and later in life. Here are a few simple ideas to promote literacy through environmental print:

• Point out signs, advertising, billboards, graphics, and symbols to your child. Talk about them together- look for letters, numbers, shapes and colors.
• Go on a letter scavenger hunt around your house: Use cereal boxes, mail, books, magazines, and advertisements to find each of the letters of the alphabet together.
• Make a book of different examples of environmental print for your child to read on their own.
• Keep ’em busy at the grocery store-(here you’ve hit the jackpot when it comes to environmental print): Use barcodes on food boxes at the grocery store to find numbers and patterns, Print off a grocery store list for your child using pictures of the labels of items and have them look for each of the items on their list, Create and print a grocery store bingo or scavenger hunt using pictures of items.
• Use environmental print in play: Let kids use the grocery ad, empty cereal boxes and yogurt containers to play restaurant or store, Make signs for a ‘road’ outside when riding bikes.
• Art and environmental print: Cut and use labels from boxes and containers to create a collage, Encourage your child to make advertisements of their own for their favorite restaurants or places that they like to visit.

Be intentional about noticing and pointing out environmental print in your every day life-it’s a little thing that can help your child develop the pre-reading skills they need to become a Reader.

Here are a few links as resources/ideas:

Sharon MacDonald (website)-Environmental Print

Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers-Environmental Print and Logos

Reading Rockets-Environmental Print

Pre-K Pages – Environmental Print

Angela (a readingteachermom)

A connection between play and adulthood

An interesting connection: play-based learning linked to skills needed for success in adulthood? Okay, I’m listening…

I recently read the article, “Want to get your kids into college? Let them play.” By Erika Christakis & Nicholas Christakis (CNN Opinion, December 2010)

The authors of this article state that some college-age students that they have worked with (at Harvard nonetheless), have trouble transitioning to ‘college life’. They have witnessed these students showing difficulty in working with one another, and sometimes the students have trouble succeeding because they are so focused on themselves. The ability to notice and recognize other people’s thoughts, intentions, and feelings (Theory of Mind) has an impact on your empathy and understanding of the people around you. Theory of Mind can be developed through play; playing alongside others. Here is an excerpt from the article mentioned above:

“Why do this? One of the best predictors of school success is the ability to control impulses. Children who can control their impulse to be the center of the universe, and — relatedly — who can assume the perspective of another person, are better equipped to learn.

Psychologists call this the “theory of mind”: the ability to recognize that our own ideas, beliefs, and desires are distinct from those of the people around us. When a four-year-old destroys someone’s carefully constructed block castle or a 20-year-old belligerently monopolizes the class discussion on a routine basis, we might conclude that they are unaware of the feelings of the people around them.

The beauty of a play-based curriculum is that very young children can routinely observe and learn from others’ emotions and experiences.” (Christakis, E. & Christakis, N., 2010).

We all know that little ones are highly egocentric-it’s how they’re wired.  So, how do we encourage children to realize that the world does not in fact revolve around them? How do we help them to understand this at a young age, so that they don’t go through life with this false belief?

One place to start is by providing and supporting children in a variety of social situations: playing, imagining, reading, talking, building friendships, and intentionally inviting them to see life through one another’s eyes. As more children are encouraged and better able to develop these skills they can positively impact their world as they grow and live life with others.

Really, it’s something we can all grow in.

Angela (a readingteachermom)

Evaluating Early Learning/Literacy Resources

There are so many resources out there in relation to literacy and children. It can be overwhelming as a parent trying to figure out what kinds of learning experiences to provide for your kids at home. So, how do you determine what is ‘good’?? Here are a few tips when evaluating information or resources you find…
First, think about what is age appropriate. Who is the ‘audience’? What age range is suggested? Learning happens best when it is done in a natural way, not a forced environment. Should babies be memorizing flash cards and watching ‘educational’ movies every day? Probably not. Little kids shouldn’t be asked to sit for too long, be quiet for too long, or focus for too long. When we ask or expect them to do something that isn’t appropriate for their age they typically respond by acting out (and let’s be honest, frustrating us!) If what you’re asking them to do isn’t working, it’s more than likely not age appropriate. Try something else, try it in a different way!

Second, do they get a chance to play? Kids love to play, and play comes naturally to them. Play-based activities are more appropriate for little ones because that is how they explore their world. (There are quite a few blogs written about play-based learning, including one of my favorites, Play at home mom). Play-based learning is open-ended and allows choices for children as they are exploring, and is usually led by children’s own interests and wonderings.  An example of play would be setting playdoh out to explore how to make different shapes, letters, or create animals. The language that can come out of this type of play is very rich and full. The child is able to take the lead and make learning their own by exploring and creating. Kids will have plenty of time to do worksheets and activities that aren’t open-ended later in life (think about most of our daily tasks as adults…usually with an end in mind, aren’t they??). Let’s let children have the freedom to make age-appropriate choices and have ownership over their play and learning-while they can!

Third, Ask yourself- What is the goal or purpose of this (resource)? Is this goal really something that is necessary? Is it learning for ‘learning sake’, or is the learning involved something that can be built-upon and extended?  Both kinds of learning are valid, but how should your child spend his/her time? Think about the type of learning that is promoted through the resource.Time should be spent on learning that is real and connects to their lives, questions, and interests. Usually this is found in experiences that are not done on paper. You can also take a resource that isn’t as ‘rich’ and make it better! If your child loves frogs, provide coloring sheets for them, but also take them to the zoo or on a nature walk to see actual frogs! It’s all about balance in learning. Think about the purpose of the resource (and add to it if necessary!)

And lastly, who is providing the resource? Most people writing a blog will include their educational background. I’m not saying that people who owe high amounts of money to educational institutions through the form of student loans are the only people who know anything about education, but if you aren’t sure- go with resources created by people who have experience and training in the field. These are the people who have been ‘in the trenches’, used the ideas, and have been able to evaluate it’s validity based on research and their own foundations of knowledge. I am biased (I have my Master’s Degree and love, love, love higher ed and will probably be going to school all my life), but being able to study and learn about the craft of teaching, along with actually teaching in your own context, certainly makes you a better teacher-and one that others can really learn from! There are also many organizations which are focused around early literacy (for example- Reading Rockets!) These foundations have to provide documentation and evidence of research-based programs in order to receive funding. While you still need to evaluate the information they share, if there is no statistical or research-based data offered up to provide validity to their procedures, that should make you wonder. So, think about the source and creator of the materials. Like anything, don’t trust everything out there just because it is pretty and cute, also consider the source. (And there’s a lot of ‘cute’ stuff out there, believe me!)

I hope this helps you as you sift through the large quantities of early learning and early literacy resources out there! I know it can be overwhelming, but when choosing learning experiences follow your child’s lead. It’s amazing what kids can do, say, learn, experiment with, and solve when we let them!

Angela (a readingteachermom)