Caroline’s big Christmas present this year was a Melissa and Doug easel. (Read more about that here.) It has a chalkboard on one side and a whiteboard on the other. She uses it every day and enjoys it.

Most mornings when she comes down she has a message waiting for her. Sometime it is just a picture that David drew the night before (since he’s the artist). Sometimes it’s a message I’ve written such as “Mama loves Caroline” or “Good Morning, Caroline.”

This photo was taken this morning.

Caroline is still very much into the manger scene and if we draw anything else, she erases it and asks for the manger scene. This morning David just cut to the chase and drew the manger scene. (Note the crescent moon!)

We are pointing out more and more words in context, sometimes running our fingers under words when we read things to her, etc. Caroline is not even close to being ready to read, but I take advantage of opportunities to demonstrate that those letters go together to mean something. We’re learning that words communicate a message.

This Morning Message idea doesn’t have to be done on an easel. It could be done on chart paper or even printer paper. Simply writing a message on a piece of paper and hanging it in the same place on the refrigerator each day would work just as well.

These are a few simple ways to create a print-rich environment in your home!

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