Your child will develop a greater Awareness of Print and Illustration and interest in Early Writing at about 2-3 years old. She will begin to notice symbols in the world around her and understand that they have meaning.¹ Not only will she be able to recognize common symbols used in everyday life (e.g. bathroom) at this age, but she will also be able to find her favorite crackers in the pantry by looking for the familiar picture or logo on the box.^2,3 This is a great time to label toy shelves and art bins with written labels and/or pictures, as she will increasingly become more capable of putting away her toys in their appropriate places.

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Point out printed words whenever possible!⁴ When you are out with your child, you can point to the stop sign and say, “The sign is telling cars to stop” or “This sign has an ‘S,’ just like ‘Sarah’ does.” Point out the letter that starts your child’s first name or the name of a familiar person, such as a sibling or friend. By taking notice of print in the environment, she will understand how important words are and how they are used in everyday life.

Because she has more interest in Early Writing now, she will pretend to write letters by scribbling on a paper and “read” it out loud to you.⁵ She may even ask you to read her letters! You can use this as a sign that your child is aware that written words convey meaning. She may even adapt how she writes certain words depending on her experience with the object. For instance, because dogs are often bigger than cats, she may scribble the word “dog” in larger type than her word for “cat.”

An exciting development milestone your child will hit at this time is her ability to recognize her name in print,¹ and possibly even begin to write her name.⁶ Write your child’s name on all of her work at this stage! Review the letters in her name by their actual sound and point out other words beginning with the same sound, even if they don’t begin with the same letter. For example, you may point out to “Fay” that her name and the word “photo” start with the same sound. Research suggests that children who understand the spoken sounds of language wind up being the strongest readers.^7,8

Give your 2- to 3-year-old many opportunities to practice her recognition of letter and number shapes and sounds by making pre-writing activities part of your daily routine. You can sing the “Alphabet Song” with your toddler as you point to the different letters in a book or on a chart, write her name on her toys and belongings, and play games that involve writing,^1,4 such as playing pretend restaurant (e.g. taking your order with a notepad and pencil), post office (e.g. writing names and addresses on envelopes), or school (e.g. writing on a chalkboard). Use your child’s name as a jumping board to learn phonetic sounds,¹ saying things like, “Look Sarah, this is a sidewalk! What sound does ‘sidewalk’ begin with?”

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Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of Awareness of Print and Illustration and Early Writing skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Point out common symbols found in your daily routine and environment.⁴ Talk about symbols that represent your child’s favorite places, foods, and toys, as well as safety warnings and hazards. Make simple observations to help her connect the symbol with its meaning. In addition, you can support her ABC’s and 123’s by pointing out letters and numbers in the world around you.
2. Make labels with your child for objects and places in your house. This is a great opportunity to boost her Vocabulary Knowledge as well as model a way to write with purpose. Place the signs at her eye level so that she can easily read them. Then take a tour of each room together, identifying all of the objects you come across by reading the signs.
3. Label all toy boxes and shelves.¹ Be sure to include both the written name and the picture of the toys or objects found in each bin. Not only will it let your child know that all toys and objects belong in their own spots, but it will encourage her self-reliance and independence, allowing her to grab toys when she wants and put them back where they belong.
4. Write her name on all of her things. This is a great age to start writing your child’s name on all of her artwork, clothes, books, etc. so that she can start to recognize her name in print form. This will also help her develop a sense of ownership for her belongings.
5. Make writing letters and numbers fun. Show your child how to create letters and numbers using different art materials, like finger paint, craft dough, or sand. Start with the letters of her name, and then branch out to the letters of other names or favorite objects. Also consider writing her “comments at the bottom of drawings, collages, or photos,”⁴ once again helping her connect words to meaning.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Awareness of Print and Illustration and Early Writing developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Recognizes her name in print.

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Sources:

¹Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

²Dell’Antonia, KJ. Preschoolers Know All about Brands. Slate. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2010/04/preschoolers_know_all_about_brands.html.

³McAlister, Anna R. and Cornwell, T. Bettina (2010). Children’s Brand Symbolism Understanding: Links to Theory of Mind and Executive Functioning. Pyschology and Marketing, 27(3), 203-228. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mar.20328/abstract.

⁴Montana Early Childhood Project (2009). Montana’s Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers. Montana State University.

⁵Public Broadcasting Service. Toddler Writing Milestones. PBS Parents. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/reading-language/reading-milestones/toddler-language-development-milestones/toddler-writing/.

⁶BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board. Toddler Milestone: Writing and Drawing. BabyCenter. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.babycenter.com/0_toddler-milestone-writing-and-drawing_11744.bc.

⁷Big Ideas in Beginning Reading. Phonemic Awareness. University of Oregon, Center on Teaching and Learning. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/pa/pa_what.php.

⁸Hoover, Wesley A. (2002). The Importance of Phonemic Awareness in Learning to Read. SEDL (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory) Letter, 14(3). Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v14n03/3.html.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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