Learning concepts of print instruction is important even to children who cannot read yet. An important part of that is learning the proper format of how to read and also learning. "Understanding print involves recognizing and understanding the mechanics of text. A reader must understand that text contains a message; that it flows from left to right and from top to bottom; that individual words on the page correspond to individual spoken words, and so on. Written English has a structure, and understanding that structure is prerequisite to good decoding skills. For young children, the emphasis may be placed on finding text in books or in the environment and developing awareness of the fact that written words represent spoken words"( SEDL, 2010). In a Kindergarten class, I would place emphasis on finding words in relation to the particular word families we were learning to expand vocabulary. Including fun literary games with matching and rhyming are also other ways I would want my children to learn about concepts of print.
A beginning understanding of literature and concept of print is to understand the direction and proper use of a book. I would make sure that a child understands A child and learns the appropriate way to hold a book, and also identity the different parts to a book: front cover, back cover, spine, table of contents, and pages.
SEDL. (2010). Instructional Resources: The Cognitive Foundations of Learning to Read. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/framework1.cgi?element=Concepts+About+Print&andor=and&source=&sortby=element