Which fundamental skill helps children realize that reading is linked to the words on the page?

Print awareness is the fundamental skill that helps children understand that reading is connected to the words on the page. It encompasses the recognition of the physical characteristics of print, including the knowledge that letters and words have meaning, that books are read from top to bottom and left to right, and that spaces separate words. This foundational awareness allows children to decode print and grasp the concept that written text conveys information and tells stories.

By developing print awareness, children learn essential skills such as identifying the front and back of a book, understanding how to hold a book correctly, and recognizing that the symbols on the page correspond to spoken language. All of these aspects prepare them for more advanced literacy skills as they progress in their reading journey. The other skills, while important in their own right, focus on different aspects of literacy development and do not specifically address the connection between reading and the written words on the page.