Recognises familiar logos and will remember what they represent

Your child has used one object to represent another in their play and has been able to match pictures and objects for some time. They are now noticing familiar logos and recognise what these represent. For example, they might see the logo of the supermarket you go to on an advert and make a comment about the name of the shop or going shopping. 

Becoming a consumer, recognising logos and brands  

Recognising logos has been studied in terms of understanding how young children begin to recognise brand logos, and some researchers suggest that the most rapid growth in logo recognition happens during the pre-school years [1]. Your child might demonstrate their recognition now through mentioning a product or activity they associate with a brand rather than by naming a particular brand. Some researchers suggest that this early recognition of logos is the beginning of children’s development as a consumer, as they link what they see the people around them doing with the things they see in the media and develop their understanding of products and brands. [2] 

Understanding symbols 

We use symbols to share information in many situations and you will notice that your child is beginning to recognise symbols and link these to a particular object, place or event. They might recognise the icon on your phone that they need to use to look at photographs with you or to play a favourite game. They might recognise the logo of their favourite shop or restaurant or a logo representing a character or their favourite TV channel. As your child begins to understand that the words and symbols they see are used to share meaning they might notice and ask more about signs and logos on advertisements. Understanding that symbols can be used to share meaning is an important step on the journey to becoming a reader, writer and mathematician and spotting logos and symbols in various places will support your child to understand the way symbols are used.  

What next? 

Your child will begin to recognise familiar words such as their name, or the name of a friend of favourite character. They will also begin to understand that numerals are used as symbols for quantity or magnitude and that letters are used to convey meaning in words. In the future, they will link letters with their names and sounds. To do this with real understanding they need lots of experience chatting and listening to language and tuning into sounds. This helps them to hear the sounds in words and begin to understand how the sounds they hear link to the letters used in words.  

References 

[1] Valkenburg, P.M. and Buijzen, M. (2005), "Identifying determinants of young children's brand awareness: television, parents, and peers", Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, pp. 456-68. 

[2] Kinsky, E.S. & Bichard, S. 2011, ""Mom! I've seen that on a commercial!" US preschoolers' recognition of brand logos", Young Consumers, 12(2), pp. 145-158.