Children learn to SPEAK naturally through repeated and meaningful exposure to the SPOKEN language. Children can also learn to READ naturally through repeated and meaningful exposure to the WRITTEN language.
Labels allow you to mimic the language acquisition of the spoken language.
Here are the 10 reasons why you should fill your child’s world with labels (and how it compares to the spoken words):
1-Word Exposure
Children would need to have been exposed to the spoken language months, if not years, before they can even say their first words. Similarly, children will need to have been exposed to the written language months, if not years, before they can even read their first words.
This means that they need to HEAR and SEE words many times a day, every single day and they need your help to show them what these words say and what they mean.
2-Built-in Repetition
Humans are creatures of habit. Daily life has built-in routines: We all wake-up, shower, brush our teeth, get dressed, eat, do some kind of activity (work, play, exercise, clean), sleep, etc. Each of these actions are opportunities to communicate with your child, both verbally and non-verbally. Seeing and hearing the word “door” every time you and your child open/close/see/walk thru a door will help your child learn to say and read that word at a faster rate. As opposed to only being exposed to that word once in a blue moon in a random book or flashcard, surrounded by a multitude of other non-related words.
3-Sensorial
In each and every one of those actions I just mentioned, there is some sort of OBJECT associated with it, something tangible (i.e. bed, bath, soap, toothbrush, pants, shoes, spoon, fork, pen, papers, pajamas, etc). Objects are the easiest for a child to understand because there is usually only 1 word associated with each object and it’s something they can see, touch, taste, hear or even smell. Babies rely heavily on their senses while they learn to navigate their world.
4-Relatable
Picture a bubble surrounding your little baby. The bubble is how far they can sense (see, hear, touch, etc) and understand the world around them. As children grow, their bubble grows. As adults, our bubbles could grow as big as our solar system (or beyond) or as far back (or forward) in time as we can understand without having to have any physical interaction with the object/subject. So, by labeling objects within the realm of your baby’s bubble, they can better absorb, understand and retain that information. For example, babies and children use a spoon every single day, many times a day, but they rarely, if ever, use an “x-ray” or a “xylophone”. Therefore, learning to say and read the word “spoon” fits within their bubble, but the words x-ray or xylophone don’t.
5- Self-Explanatory
Let’s say you are playing pretend with your child, where you are the mechanic and your child is your assistant. Your hands are busy so you ask your child to pass you a tool from the toy toolbox. You start by asking for the screwdriver. But this is the first time your child hears that word and has no clue what a screwdriver is. He looks for it among the rest of the tools, but can’t find it. So, you ask for a wrench instead. Once again, your child has never heard that word before and doesn’t know what it looks like. This happens because your child has not made the connection between the object and the word. Unless, you specifically point out each tool and say the word aloud to them or unless the tool said its name as you pick it up, they have no way of figuring it out on their own.
The same thing happens when your child sees an object without a label on it (or a word without an object). You need to make it obvious to your child. If you could write the word wrench on the actual wrench, then your child could make that instant connection between the object and its written representation. It becomes self-evident and self-explanatory.
6-Effortless
We expose our children to hundreds or even thousands of spoken words on a daily basis without us even realizing it. They learn to speak as a side effect of their daily interaction with others. But how to accomplish the same side effect with the written words in a way that doesn’t require you to sit and read books for 16 hours a day? Labeling allows you effortlessly go around your home, describing your/their actions and pointing to the labels as you go through your day. It allows you to incorporate reading into every activity you do, without having to set aside a separate time to sit and read a book or go thru flashcards, worksheets, etc.
7-Age Independent
You don’t have to wait until your child goes to school to start learning to read. You can start labeling things even before your baby comes into this world. Introducing the world to your baby with labels already included is one of the best things you can do for your child! Place the word “crib” on their crib. This way they can learn what a crib is, what its written word looks like and how it sounds when you say it aloud to him/her, all simultaneously. You’ll be surprised when they start reading those words back to you! Children are sponges from the ages 0-5, so take advantage of their powerful brains and memory. So when they do start school, they already have a robust collection of words in their back pocket.
8-Replicable/Reproducible
By having labels all over your house, you encourage other people (visitors, friends, family) to use them in their conversation when speaking to your child. It not only raises awareness of the printed word, but it also reinforces it. Everyone in your child’s life can become a teacher, they can help you teach your child to read.
9-Difficult to avoid/Unconscious Learning
I’ve heard of many mothers who complain that their kid hates reading and books or can’t sit still for long enough to even read a book. Labeling is a great solution to incorporate reading into their lives without them even realizing it. They can learn the word “bed” while jumping on the bed. They can learn the word “door” by running from door to door. This can reduce their anxiety and that overwhelming feeling they get when you try to read them a book with lots of words and sentences on it. You’d be increasing your child’s reading confidence and this can transform into reading enjoyment once they realize that they can actually recognize and read those words on the books.
10-Natural/Not forced
Children learn best when they are not forced to learn (and this goes for any subject, not just learning to read). When you quiz them, test them, or put them on the spot, their stress levels go up. When humans are stressed, their first reaction is to either fight or flight. This is what happens when they start school at age 5, they are suddenly forced to memorize a bunch of phonics rules and random lists of sight words from a piece of paper. This results in a lot of kids hating reading. And this might not have much to do with the act of reading itself, but with the method of teaching. However, if we make reading part of their world (via labeling) when they are still babies or preschoolers, we can make reading a more natural and gentle process for them. They can actually see what is the point of reading. This creates an internal motivation to learn how to read, without relying on the usual external motivators (rewards or punishments).
So, please label their world (you can get started with these adhesive labels to stick around your house). And remember, words don’t read themselves!
For more tips and inspiration, check out my other BLOG posts. To begin labeling your child’s world, check out my SHOP for some unique products that you won’t find anywhere else! If you are interested in how my kid started reading at the age of 2, you can check out this post.