At age two, my middle daughter could read! Was she truly gifted? Well, of course, all my girls are gifted, but she was using Environmental Print to read signs. Riding in the car, she was forever searching for the golden arches of McDonald’s. As soon as she saw the lights of the letter M she would exclaim with glee, “Nonald’s”! She was making the connection between the symbol and the delicious taste of salty french fries. She was reading.

At the beginning of each preschool year, I ask my students if they can read. The sadness on their faces turn to smiles as I tell them, “Yes, you can!” I bring out a book of logos that I made showing familiar places and products. And the children begin shouting as they “read” Wal-Mart, Sonic, Froot Loops, Nintendo, Taco Bell and so many others. If we are looking at the letter U and I am showing them a picture of a U-Haul truck, I will show a picture or quick video of a family using a U-Haul truck to move from place to place. Excited they can now read U-Haul, I flash a picture of a UPS truck. Oh my goodness, another word they can read that starts with the letter U! And the race is on… How many words can they read on their very first day of preschool! I will ask them to touch their heads and see if they can feel their brains getting bigger. All heads nod and faces glow.

The next step is to show the connection between the letters that make up the word and the symbol itself. Letter recognition is the very first part of reading. Then we move to the sounds the letters make on their own and finally the magic the sounds make as we manipulate the letters into words. Can’t you just feel the power in this process!

As a parent or grandparent or aunt or friend, point out pictures and words to a child. Hold up a box of Cheerios and a box of Pop-Tarts and let the child read the choice for breakfast. Throw up your hands and exclaim, “You are brilliant! You can read! You just read the words Cheerios and Pop-Tarts. Unbelievable!” Do a twist and a shout. You and the child are making connections that will affect his/her reading ability and confidence for the rest of time.

I encourage you to cruise the ideas of environmental print on Pinterest or other sites. Take time and make a little book of logos that your child can read all alone or can read to you. Do a dance and celebrate the joy of teaching a child to read!

Book of the Week: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees.