The Words That Surround Us, by Dr. Joan C. Fingon
Environmental print activities provide your students' families with an integrative way to encourage reading
While in the grocery store recently, I watched two young girls begging their mother to stop as they pointed to their "favorite" snack on the shelf. They were about five years old and probably couldn't read yet, but they knew exactly what they wanted. At a very early age, children can identify their favorite cereal box by its logo and style of lettering without reading the label; they are knowledgeable about what they want and where to find it in the store. This fact is not lost on the advertising industry, which markets to and targets children as consumers. Research has shown that, while at first, children may see symbols or pictures that represent their favorite name brands, knowledge of these signs in their environment can serve as a basis for them to begin to understand the alphabetic system.
Print is powerful.
Books, magazines and newspapers are only one kind of print children see in their everyday lives. They are bombarded with a variety of traffic signage, billboards, logos on commercial fast food restaurants, laundry mats and car washes, bumper stickers and graffiti while going to school, riding in a car, taxi, bus or train. Children realize at an early age that environmental print can be powerful and carries meaning in different settings.
Environmental print can be used as a valuable tool for children's pre-reading skills and general understanding of the world around them.
Optimal conditions for learning.
Research shows that one of the primary conditions for optimal appropriate language growth for young children is to listen to the child's language. Other conditions involve adults and children having fun or playing with language, modeling language skills and offering unconditional acceptance of the child's language.
Parents can help children discover and use print found in their daily lives in a number of ways that do not require a great deal of time and energy. Listed below are five activities I used with my own children that I found were helpful to them in learning how to read.
Talk about everyday things.
Establish the habit of asking your child about print they see while walking them to school, riding in the car or waiting at a subway or bus stop. Engaging in brief conversations about print they see in everyday settings can increase a child's curiosity, general knowledge and communication skills. For example, when a child sees a fast food restaurant sign, ask:
What kind of writing or pictures do you see?
What does it mean to you?
What color or shape is it?
Do you know or can you find something else with the same color or shape?
Do you know any letters, words or numbers are in it?
Why do you think the sign is there?
Guessing games while traveling.
On a long or short trip in the car or on foot, play a guessing game similar to "I Spy," where children listen to and look for clues. For example, for a stop sign say, "I see a sign that's red and white. It has many corners (or eight sides). Where is it? What does it mean?" Point out deer or animal crossing signs in rural areas and metro signs in city areas. While traveling to different places, locate both signage children have seen before and that which they are unfamiliar with in order to expand their general knowledge and observation skills.
Counting cars, license plates and bumper stickers.
Create a contest and determine how many bumper stickers, license plates, parking signs or different types or colors of cars and trucks children can count while traveling. Talk about numbers, colors, shapes and license plate origins to increase children's geographical awareness and literacy skills.
Cutting and counting coupons.
Include children in collecting and matching or sorting advertisement coupons for family shopping. Talk about favorite items of family members such as food, toys, sporting or clothing and locate and cut out coupons from magazines and newspapers or flyers.
Meal or snack time reading.
Allow the family to read at the dinner table! Get into the habit of examining cereal or drink boxes and other packaged food items while children are waiting at the table for meals. Talk about different kinds of information located on the sides, top and bottom of the boxes or wrappers. Encourage family members to discuss and share information wherever the family gathers on a regular basis.
Supporting families to teach.
Families who make time each day to share books and other print materials with their children can experience the joy of learning together, regardless of the setting, time of day, children's ages or vehicle for the printed word.
Additionally, here are some children's books that relate to environmental print and can be purchased inexpensively or borrowed from the local or school library.
Murals: Walls that Sing by George Ancona (Cavendish, 2003)
City Signs by Zoran Milich (Kids Can Press, 2002)
I See a Sign by Lars Klove (Aladdin, 1996)
The M & M's Brand Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2002)
Signs on the Road by Mary Hill (Children's Press, 2003)
Dr. Joan C. Fingon teaches in the Reading and Language Arts graduate program at California State University Los Angeles.
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