What do children learn through environmental print?

Children learn important everyday symbols through environmental print, which includes text and images they encounter in their everyday lives, such as signs, labels, and advertisements. This exposure helps them recognize and understand the significance of commonly used symbols and text in their environment. For instance, they may quickly learn that a red octagonal shape signifies a stop sign, or that a certain logo represents a well-known brand.

This understanding of symbols is foundational as it connects their real-world experiences to literacy skills. It lays the groundwork for later reading development because children begin to associate these symbols with specific meanings in context.

In contrast, the other options focus on different aspects of reading development. The sounds of letters pertain to phonics and phonemic awareness, while understanding the meaning of words relates to vocabulary development. Learning how to read a book is associated with comprehension strategies and text structure but doesn't capture the essence of environmental print, which primarily emphasizes recognizing and interpreting symbols present in daily life.