One Simple Thing - Tuesday - Environmental Print

All print our children see around them can be considered environmental print.
Just drive your three-year-old by any McDonald's and he will plead with you to get him french fries the minute he sees that golden "M."

One Simple Thing you can do today to help your child succeed in learning to read is to support her love of environmental print!

Collect five or six DVD or VHS covers of shows or movies that are your family's favorites (your local library is a great source of movies you can rent for free!).
Lay them side by side on a table or rug and begin talking about each one. Your child is likely to tell you some of the titles immediately! Point to the words in each movie title as you read it aloud. Then, the fun begins! Point to the title of a movie your child knows for sure and ask, "What does this say?" Most likely, he or she will "read" the title correctly. If it is slightly off ("Bug's Life"), point to each word and say, "Yes, "A Bug's Life." Make sure to encourage your child by saying, "You read it!" or, "You are a reader!" excitedly. He or she will light up with confidence and will continue to want to read all the movie titles to you! Once you have played this game for a while, make sure to let your child demonstrate his environmental print skills to an encouraging parent, sibling, or friend. Have fun!

One Simple Thing you can do to boost your baby's reading skills today, is to take a nature walk! Describe the flowers and bugs you see, how the rain feels, the smell of the air etc. Help her to really notice the world around her and to build her vocabulary!

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Chocolate Isn't a Vegetable?

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