6 Ways to Develop Concepts of Print

Have you ever wondered what you should do to help a child learn to read? It really starts with just reading….but there are simple, easy, important things to do as you read. These are called print concepts which are essential to reading and writing.

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What are Concepts About Print?

They are an awareness of print in everyday environments. Concepts about print involve understanding the difference between words,
letters, punctuation and
directionality. Print concepts foster
reading comprehension and vocabulary growth.
Some of these include:
  • left to right tracking of words
  • top and bottom of the page
  • front and back of the book
  • front cover
  • page numbers
  • punctuation marks
  • spaces between words
Click to get Concepts of Print Worksheet

What can you do to help develop concepts about print?

Practice Print Concepts

Talking about words, letters, and stories develops print concepts that makes reading fun and engaging. Model concepts of print and  practice manipulating text. Constantly model print when doing tasks throughout the day and provide varied, fun ways to practice reading. Click here to see fun ways to begin reading before words are known.

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Read to develop print concepts

Constant exposure to different kinds of text and understanding
how print works will help develop the skills needed for children to become successful readers. So be sure to read each day. Yes, it’s ok to read and reread the same book!

Look for Patterns in Print and Pictures

For example, repetitive sentence patterns (I see the . . . ), sentence
location on each page, a common character located on each page somewhere (Mercer Mayer has a cricket, grasshopper, mouse, or spider on each page. In Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown has the mouse all around the room…and check out the clock.)

Sentence Construction

Print a brief, familiar rhyme
or poem on individual word cards then construct and reconstruct the text by
line. This will really help kiddos focus on words and sentences. Check out Simple Alphabet Poems. These simple poems can be used easily.

printconcepts teachmagically conceptsaboutprint

Write a Grocery
List to develop Concepts of Print
This is a perfect place to add paper and pencils to your kitchen play area. Explain to the students how to write the lists.
Some things to ask:

  • “Should we put our first word at the top or the bottom?”
  • “Will the
    first letter go on the right or the left?”
  • “Should the K in Kix be upper
    case or lower case?”

Sight Word Work Sentence Building

Add cards
with names and names of family members, periods, exclamation marks
and question marks and action words to a bag with sight words. Put together the cards,
leaving spaces between each card, to create simple sentences (“Mary can jump.”
vs. “Can Paul sing?” vs. “I can run!”)


I hope you’ve found this information about concepts of print helpful. If you have any additional tips that might help a teacher, please share below in comments!
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Make everyday magical,

❤Debora 

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