Multisensory Reading Clinic

pre-alphabetic stage of reading and writing

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Have you ever wondered if your child can really “read” the “Walmart” and “McDonald’s” signs?

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Once a parent told us, “I do not know why our child cannot read anymore—he is very smart! At 3 years old, he is already reading words! He can read the panels of ‘Walmart,’ ‘McDonald’s,’ ‘Subway,’ ‘Tim Hortons,’ and ‘Stop’ signs! He can even read the words on the boxes of his favorite foods like ‘Cheerios,’ ‘Kraft Dinner,’ ‘Lucky Charms,’ etc.!”

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Your child can recognize all of these words in print because someone has read these words to him, and he has been exposed to the visual images embedded with specific letter patterns, colors, and concepts. For example, you might have said, “Let’s go to McDonald’s or Walmart,” and your child has seen the McDonald’s and Walmart words and has been exposed to these patterns. This is what we call pre-alphabetic reading and writing, the first phase of reading and spelling development that we sometimes call the logographic stage. It occurs in children at an early age, up to around 4 years old or so.

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At this stage, they do not know how our language works, and they do not know that letters represent sounds, but they have an idea that print represents spoken messages. They do not have any strategy other than memorizing the visual patterns in their physical context, such as the way they see the McDonald’s, Walmart, or Burger King panels; traffic and restroom signs; as well as flashcards with pictures.

They are also at the pre-alphabetic stage in the way they spell—a string of familiar letters that they try to sound out and put their ideas into print.

 

Recognizing words in visual images and writing strings of letters is only the pre-alphabetic development of reading and writing, and children should move to the most critical aspect toward reading success: the early alphabetic reading and writing stage, where they learn the alphabetic principle of our language, usually in kindergarten and grade one.

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​​to be continued...​