The environmental prints are the prints used for everyday signs and logos. Be it candy wrappers, store signs, or peanut butter labels; everything is an example of environmental print. In fact, for many readers, environmental print is the key connection to reading. Using the environmental prints, the parents and teachers can help the kids get more involved in studying and learning about words and letters. There are numerous ways one can incorporate environmental prints in daily life. For instance, you can play a license plate game during a long car drive or make them find their initials on the cereal box. It is an easy method of teaching new things. Here are all the details-
Classroom environmental print
The environmental print used in the schools and classrooms is a great way to keep the students interested in learning. When a classroom is decorated with stories and sentences, it will attract the kids and encourage them to read the same. After some time, they will start recognizing their work, and they will be proud to show it off. This will increase the willingness of the child to learn and write.
Having a library stock with different colored books that students have written is a great solution for including environmental trends in the classroom. In addition, it helps the students interact with the prints and see their work.
Labeling the objects in the classroom like the clock or the chair is a great way to use the environmental prints. However, when these words are used in the classroom during teaching, the teacher must point out the words and read them aloud, left to right, so that the entire classroom hears them.
How to use environmental print to teach your child?
Using environmental print to teach your kid is an interactive and fun activity. Consider taking examples from the below-mentioned ideas-
- The cereal boxes are available in interesting and colorful looks. You can ask your child to find his name’s first alphabet on the box. Besides, see if it is possible if your kid can find his whole name too.
- While going on a car trip, use a simple sign for your kid to focus on. Also, you can consider asking him to read the signs and say the message each time. Talking to him about the words and their sounds is a great way of letting them understand the pronunciation. In addition, this will ensure the kid recalls the numbers and letters in daily life.
- You can consider giving your kid a digital camera to collect the pictures of the different signs on the road like do not enter or speed limit. Use these pictures in a small book, for him to read. This will help them learn about the traffic signs during their early stages.
- Consider cutting out familiar pieces from the label of the cereal boxes and soup cans. You can use these individual words to talk about the lower and upper case letters. Besides, you must also teach the sound of letters to ensure your child learns how to pronounce them. Finally, make sure you push your child to get the habit of reading the words you have cut out.
Once you have adequate pictures of words and signs from different items in the house, you can sort them out by beginning letters. Identify the sounds the letters make. Sort out words and logos by category. With this, you can create a simple alphabet book for your kid with A to Z. Your child will enjoy learning as he has a colorful and interactive book to read from.
Why use environmental print?
Using environmental trends for helping a kid learn is a great way to make them recall things. The logos and signs that they see daily mean a lot. In fact, they get excited when they get to read them. Using the prints, you can build confidence in the younger children and make them involved in reading. When the children are excited and know what the print’s meaning is for them, they will learn better and faster. It is believed when the children use the contextual clues to read; they better translate into the functional print of the school. It is easy for them to identify new things and get used to them.
Conclusion
Teaching a child is something that can be tough and challenging. However, you can make it fun by using environmental prints. Incorporating environmental prints in the study time is a great means to increase their confidence level and ensure they learn things easily. Besides, it will also help them get the habit of reading, which will be beneficial later in life.
