Q. Why do firefighters wear red suspenders? A. To keep their pants up. Yesterday was a warm-up activity: go for a walk to see red things, draw about it and maybe read the book Red Is Best. Today is an extension of that activity that helps children develop the idea that print has meaning.
Using the drawing created yesterday of something red, have your child tell you about the picture, ” What is this that we saw that is red?” As your child explains, print it down for him/her. When you are done, the two of you can read it together. Ask your child to tell you what it says. Accuracy is not needed at this point. What is important is that your child can give you the basic idea of the picture and what the words say. This shows that s/he has the idea of what reading is all about.
This concept develops from lots of fun with books and over time. Exposure to this kind of experience is part of kindergarten readiness. It is critical for learning to read later on at school. Your child may be able to draw a couple more pictures for you to write on to make his or her very own “I See Something Red” book. Do we have some young authors?