Print Awareness

Print Awareness is noticing print everywhere, knowing how to handle a book, knowing that writing in English follows basic rules such as flowing from top-to-bottom and left-to-right, and that the print on the page is what is being read (not the pictures). An example of print awareness is a child's ability to point to the words on the page of a book. Fun ways to learn print awareness:

Point out and read words everywhere you see them (on signs, labels, stores, products, etc.).
Read books that your child can handle on their own such as board books. Let them turn the pages as you read.
Point to the words as you read—especially repeated phrases or the title of the book.
Ask your child to point to the first word on the page.
Mention the parts of a book as you read. “Look at this cover! This book must be about elephants!” “The End … that’s the last page of the book.”