Learning to Read: Concepts of Print (just the tip of the iceberg but it's a start!)

I've been thinking a lot about what parents need in this stage of life and at this time of year. It is SO busy with the start of school just settling down and the holidays about to ramp up. Recently, someone asked for tips on teaching their preschooler how to read. Earlier that day, I had been stuck on ideas. The problem wasn't that I didn't have any- it was actually that I had too many ideas, goals and plans for this site that I didn't even know what to start on when I sat down.

Luckily, this question sparked something in me and I made some time this past weekend to sit and really think about what this person needed. I sat down and planned out my November books, made 3 different fall printable activities, and thought more about what families really need to help their kiddos. So. Let's get started with just the basics.

• Read with your child!! Please please do this early and often. This helps them build pre-reading skills called "concepts of print". AKA the basics that kids need to know in order to begin reading.

• This includes parts of a book: front cover, back cover, reading from left to right and top to bottom, how to turn pages and take care of books, etc.

• It also includes understanding that letters make up words, words are separated by spaces, words make up sentences and sentences start with a capital letter and end with punctuation.

I know. It sounds like a lot....

But the good news is, this comes naturally with exposure and talking to your child about these when they are reading. Another important part of reading is environmental print. This is when your little learner recognizes that they are at Target by the Target logo, Wendy's by the Wendy's logo, etc. It's not just for stores either. Popular TV shows, movies, and toy brands also have recognizable logos that children can "read". Think about signs as well. I bet most little ones can understand that a stop sign says stop pretty early on. It helps to point out that they already know a lot about words and letters before they can read books. (It also builds their little confidence up!).

All of this is a great start for parents and kids as you start your reading journey. From here we can talk about letter sounds, sight words, and word play like rhyming, which all play a huge part in reading readiness as well. Stay tuned for more on these!