HOW TO CREATE A PRINT RICH ENVIRONMENT

One teacher's tips on why you should create a print rich environment in your Early Years classroom and how to achieve this.

As teachers we know children gain early literacy skills by interacting with the world around them. 

We know that play is an important part of this development in the early years of a child's life. By creating an environment rich in print, we help children understand that symbols help us communicate with each other. That print is of importance, that it carries meaning others can understand. 

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There are many ways teachers can help to support this developing understanding of letters and other symbols in young children. 

HOW TO CREATE A PRINT RICH ENVIRONMENT

Name everything. 

Place words on all the everyday objects around us. Sticky notes or Post-Its are perfect for this. I've created number hunts around the classroom, stuck sight words on student's backs for them to record, labelled everything in my own home at one time or another as my own children were beginning to read.

Create a word wall. 

You might create a word wall in your class room of unfamiliar vocabulary found in shared books or you might make a word wall to help your student spell uncommon or technical words particular to a specialist subject like science or geography. They are a powerful tool and a must in any Early Years classroom.

Use visuals and text.

Place words next to picture of items. There's a reason there are board books full of pictures and labels. This serves as a visual reminder about the word and to help children understand about print. It's a excellent way to build a child's vocabulary which in turn helps support their early attempts to read and write.

Display posters around your classroom or create a writing center with visuals to help expose your children to a wider vocabulary.

Using cards like these on a simple ring clip and adding them to your writing centers helps children use more diverse vocabulary in their writing.

They can simply flick through the cards to find new words they want to write but fear spelling incorrectly.

But my children aren't old enough to write?

Pretend play or dramatic play is an excellent opportunity to create a print rich environment in an early years classroom. 

This school year, a corner of my classroom has been dedicated to such play. It's been home to a cafe, a toy shop, a pirate's lair, a vet, even a space station and now a fruit and vegetable shop to encourage some imaginative play. 

I know what sort of visuals I want to use when creating such a play space. Those that utilise engaging pictures paired with simple easy to read text.

I created this set of fruit + vegetable photo flashcards for display in our shop. The children have used them so many different ways in play. 

While I created them for display in our play areas, there are so many different ways to use flashcards like this.

HOW TO USE OUR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CARDS 

1. Print them out and add them to your home corner to compliment children's pretend play. 
2. Use the cards at the shops like a treasure hunt.
3. Display them in your kitchen at home. 
4. Print them out smaller and add them to a ring clip for your writing centres.
5. Use them to help write a shopping list. 
6. Create a word wall with them.
7. Print out two copies and use them for a memory game
8. Use them to teach alphabetical order and put them in order.
9. Teach correct articles - a/an with them in your grammar lessons.
10. Head outside with them to your garden to find the real thing.

Are you ready to create a print rich environment? 

Grab your copy of our fruit and vegetable cards now!

This set includes:

• 43 different vegetable cards with real life photos used + editable text
• 33 different fruit cards with real life photos used + editable text
• 2 x fruit covers + 2 x vegetable covers

Ideal for literacy or writing centers in the Early Years.

FRUIT + VEGETABLE CARDS

US $3

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