Whether you are a teacher or summer program instructor, now is a great time to get children ready for school with high-impact, high-fun activities. Join us for the full menu on early literacy readiness skills. In this five-part blog series, we provide Recipes for Readiness addressing:
- Language Development
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
- Book Awareness and Print Concepts
- Alphabet Knowledge and Beginning Phonics
- Writing and Drawing
In this blog, we cook up fun around book awareness and print concepts.
Remember to...
Model: All people learn by seeing something demonstrated, doing it together with help, and practicing it independently until confident. Just like talking, walking, and riding a bicycle, the same is true for learning to read and write!
Make time: 60–90 minutes throughout the day, depending on the child's stamina.
What is Book Awareness?
It’s all about understanding how a book works:
- Front and back of a book
- Turning pages
- Illustrations telling a story
- Print carrying the message
- Reading left to right
- Reading top to bottom
- Knowing the difference between a letter and a word
- Beginning and end of a word (first letter, last letter)
- Knowing letters make words
Tips for Book Awareness and Print Concept Success
Introduce print concepts with a light touch. For example, as children watch you read aloud a simple, patterned text, you might point out the pattern. Or the author’s use of a basic, high-utility word like “I” or other words you know the child has encountered often in previous listening and shared reading experiences.
Book Awareness Activities to Try
Book Time
Read a book together while pointing under words to model directionality. Point out some of the interesting things about it:
“There’s a question mark. Let’s read it with a question voice.”
“That’s an exclamation point, so I will sound excited when I read it.”
“Look at this word. It’s in a speech bubble.”
“Oh, look at the picture of the turtle. How do you think it’s feeling right now?”
Words in Our World
While riding in the car or on a bus, point out signs, logos, and other common words in the environment.
Clap & Cheer!
Say a word. Clap the letters in the word. Cheer the word!
“Stop.” — “S-T-O-P” — “Stop!”
“Danté.” — “D-A-N-T-E” — “Danté!”
Resources for Awareness and Print Concept
Books:
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How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander
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Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, such as We Are In A Book
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The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni
Songs and Chants:
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The Parts of a Book by Scratch Garden (Youtube)
Poems and Rhymes:
- My Favorite Word by Lucia & James L. Hymes Jr.