Part 4
Environmental Print:
What does one call the exterior signage on businesses or call the words on products used at home? All these key words-names of products or brands are called environmental print, its the print (symbols, numerals, letters, words) that one sees in their surrounding environment.
Toddlers are beginning to realize print is found everywhere. These concepts may be used as talking points and lead to “Serve & Return” interactions. As a toddler sees the same environmental print consistently, opportunities arise to share what the signs, logos and labels say. Talking about the visuals that they see is part of introducing the concept —print has meaning. This isn’t the time to teach about letter names, letter sounds or word reading — that comes later. Unless the toddler is older and asks what those specific marks = letters are in a word or what the complete word says. For now, a toddler is learning that the symbol for TARGET (bullseye) means where one buys things and that the large sign communicates that information to people. Understanding that print has meaning is one of the beginning steps in early literacy learning.
(More about this topic will be found in READING Time.)
Ones home is filled with environmental print. The kitchen offers daily reminders to a toddler, since print is found on cereal boxes, food containers, recipes, grocery packaging etc. Pointing to the carton/plastic container of juice-saying the word “juice” helps to connect the concept that print carries meaning when holding a juice container. Environmental print will play a bigger roll throughout a child’s early life in their overall literacy development. They may repeat key words introduced over and over—”juice” is a favorite. Soon phrases will be said—”more juice”.
What’s cooking? Along with using the surrounding print found in the kitchen to assist in their understanding of language, verbal communications play a huge role too. One may announce what they’ll be eating before each meal or describe what the toddler is actually eating. Labeling verbally what these specific foods are called expands their language vocabulary. “Look, yummy orange carrots. You love carrots. Here’s your spoon, use it to eat those carrots.” The toddler is engaged and is learning during all these brief exchanges.
Stroller Adventures
A toddler has a unique opportunity to travel in their own private transport vehicle — a stroller—It’s a mobile language machine! Perfect time to introduce new vocabulary words, whether the trip is out in nature or on the city sidewalks. The driver who now is the official tour guide has a receptive listener and becomes a narrator sharing the sights during this outing. Toddlers will enjoy hearing the spoken words throughout these excursions. It may be the first time going in a certain direction or a repeat trip. Either way this offers a time to connect and communicate. If it is a repeat trip — try to point out and name the same things previously shared. For example: While re-visiting the park take the toddler in the stroller over to see the ducks swimming in the pond. After stopping near enough to see them, say—”These ducks go quack, quack. Let’s watch what they do. The big white one is diving for food in the water. There it goes diving again.” Remember a toddler does not need a lengthy explanation of all the habits of ducks. Keep the talk going until interest wanes—meaning time to push on to another location. Key to remember—describing actions seen, noises heard, or other related information helps the toddler to better understand their surroundings.
There will be multiple times popping up for direct exchanges during these strolls which may cause one to stop. For a toddler Talking Time with a parent is magical. It offers up a perfect time to get oneself down to a toddlers’ level and have a face-to-face conversation. Toddlers want to watch how words are formed, and ones’ facial expressions. The brain absorbers it all!
Car Travels
A toddler traveling out into the world of the unknown brings challenges for all. Parents have secured their toddler and packed all the necessities needed for this excursion. The eventful trip for the toddler is welcomed, they are strapped in and ready to go. (A somewhat different experience for the the parents. There is the planning, packing and loading of all the baby gear needed for a happy and safe trip. A definite goal, success to be had by all. Whew!)
Whether the trip is long or short it does provide a time for language to flow. But longer trips offer multiple decisions about what to bring or what to do with a toddler to help make it an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. A few suggestions besides talking about what they are seeing and what they will see once the trip has ended are favorite books with new ones too,. small toys, drawing board, sticker books, mess free-water painting & coloring books, plain paper drawing pad, and stuffed animals.
(More suggested activities will be coming in the Music Time, Reading Time and Play Time Posts.)
SAFETY FIRST
Car seat safety regulations need to be followed in conjunction with the height and weight of each toddler. A general rule is that during a baby’s first year it’s best to use the rear-facing car seat in the back seat. At. 12 to 23 months of age a toddler should continue using the rear-facing car seat unless their body size no longer accommodates this type of car seat. The next step would be to place them into a car seat which is now facing forward in the back seat. There are numerous car seat choices available, many have been designed to convert from rear-facing to a front facing car seat when needed. (Follow state and federal regulations.)
Emergency Kit—Girl Scout motto—Be prepared! (Oh, I was a Girl Scout so that phrase always shouts out to me.) However, even the best planning does not always prepare one for some of the happenings that arise. One is continually adding to an emergency kit. Here’s a partial list—regular first aid with kit-.band aids and other supplies, a flashlight, toilet paper etc.
The surrounding world and the people in a toddlers’ life strongly impacts their language development. Researchers Adrienne L. Tierney and Charles A Nelsen III stated that “The types of stimuli infants and children are exposed to help shape the brain and behavior. Although the brain may come equipped with biases for certain perceptual information, such as for speech, language, or faces, it is the specific speech, language, and range of faces they are exposed to that drives subsequent development.”
All the experiences and exposures to language are part of a toddlers’ very early homeschooling life. A parent is their child’s first teacher who participates in daily planned and unplanned activities, and soon realize that everything is part of a toddlers’ total learning environment. These active Communicators are absorbing language all day long. What a big adventure is being had by all!
The time spent with ones’ young child is contributing to their brain expansion. It literally expands in size as well as knowledge. Continual language bursts will be exploding right before your eyes and ears. Sometimes all those questions seem to be never ending –why, what, etc. but their wonderings are essential parts to their language growth. Have fun!
Happy days to you,
Kylene
Also, there is more information regarding “Serve and Return” in TALKING Time pre-birth -12 months in a previous Blog posts found within my website.
“Children are like wet cement: whatever falls on them makes an impression.”
Haim Ginott, Child Psychologist
First 5 San Diego, (2026), TALK! TALK! TALK!, Tips for Infant & Toddle Teachers & Caregivers,
https://first5sandiego.org/tips-for-infant-toddler-teachers-and-caregivers/
Neumann, Michelle Margaret, Hood, Michelle, Ford, Ruth, Neumann, David L., (2013),
The role of environmental print in emergent literacy, Research Gate,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258134616_The_role_of_environmental_print_in_emergent_literacy
Tierney, Adrienne L., Nelsen III, Charles A. (2009), Brain Development and the Role of Experience in the Early Years, National Library of Medicine, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3722610/
U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Car Seat Recommendations for Children, https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/carseat-recommendations-for-children-by-age-size.pdf
