Print awareness is basic knowledge about print and how it is typically organized on a page. A young child with print awareness knows that print conveys meaning, print is read left to right, and words are separated by spaces.
Print awareness is understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words, and how a book “works” — such as identifying the front and back covers, knowing that pages are turned, and that print in English reads from left to right.
How can you help kids develop print awareness? Here are some sample questions and prompts you can use before, during, and after a read aloud activity to help children activate basic knowledge about print and books.
Print awareness is a child’s earliest understanding that written language carries meaning. The foundation of all other literacy learning builds upon this knowledge. The following are guidelines for teachers in how to promote print awareness and a sample activity for assessing print awareness in young children.
Children with print awareness can begin to understand that written language is related to oral language. Children who lack print awareness are unlikely to become successful readers. Indeed, children’s performance on print awareness tasks is a very reliable predictor of their future reading achievement.
Preschoolers who are getting ready to read expand their knowledge of the building blocks of oral and written language, and their use and appreciation of language. Learn activities parents can use at home to support children’s growth in each of these areas.
In this overview, learn how early literacy benefits from both print-to-speech and speech-to-print instruction, creating connections in the brain that link new knowledge about the alphabet to what children already know and are continuously learning about words.
Each year at the annual meeting of the American Library Association, the best known children’s book awards are announced. Each highlights books that will continue to resonate with young readers long after the celebrations end.
