Chocolate Isn't a Vegetable?

One Simple Thing you can do with your preschooler or toddler today is to go grocery shopping! Create a shopping list together, explain that you use coupons to save money, ask your little one to be you big helper today! Together, walk through the aisles of your favorite grocery store and help your child compare the words written on your shopping list (make sure to print clearly) to the ones on the packages. Make sure to take your child very close to the actual item, at least at the beginning, so he can find the item without getting frustrated. This is a wonderful activity that teaches about environmental print, math, and savvy shopping! For babies, use your grocery store trips to point out letters on food labels and signs, and count aloud as you add items to your shopping cart. Have fun!

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...