Do remember learning how a book works? Not how to read the words, but do you remember learning which direction to turn pages, how to know the front from the back, or how to scan the words across a page? These rules are language based and vary.
It may sound funny, but we all need to learn how books work before we understand the words inside. Print awareness together with an understanding of how to maneuver a book are the first steps to becoming a reader. If children are comfortable handling books, then they will have a smoother transition into the handling the books they will eventually read by themselves.
This month we’ll explore how to pass along the “instructions” of how books and written language work to young children. Who knows? You might be raising a future book worm.
Here are the areas of early learning supported by helping your child learn how a book works:
Educational Domain: Approaches to Learning
Goal: Children show curiosity and interest in learning
Educational Domain: Cognition & General Knowledge
Goal: Children collect information through observation and manipulation
Educational Domain: Communication, Language, and Literacy
Goal: Children demonstrate appreciation and enjoyment of reading
