Teachers know that one of the marks of a bright child is the size of his or
her vocabulary. The definition of vocabulary is the knowledge of words and
word meanings. Children who have larger vocabularies communicate better,
read and write with greater understanding and radiate confidence in their
learning ability.
While much of a child’s vocabulary growth occurs naturally through
listening to language, hearing stories read aloud, speaking with others and
general immersion in the family’s native language, there are simple and fun
ways to increase word knowledge.
You, the parent, can boost your child’s vocabulary by doing the following:
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Incorporate word knowledge into reading time.
When you’re reading a story to your child and come to a new word,
take the time to expand on it, define it and relate it to another
word your child already knows. For instance, when you come to the
word “gigantic,” you might say, “The egg was gigantic. That means
it was really big. Can you think of some other gigantic things? A
dinosaur maybe, or that huge play structure at school?” Then give
your child the opportunity to use the word in naming other gigantic
things. Studies show that rereading books is another way to
reinforce new vocabulary. -
Encourage them to read, read, read independently
. Researchers say we learn from 5 to 15 percent of the words we
know from our independent reading times. Children who read more
develop a richer vocabulary. They’re exposed to genre words such as
everything related to kings, queens and castles, or everything
about the beaver and its habitat. They learn to understand the
meaning of new words through the context of their story. Encourage
readers to make note of words they don’t understand and keep a
dictionary handy. -
Foster real discussion in your home.
Make dinnertime a time to share the stories of the day. Or take the
time to talk about current events, while using some of the
vocabulary related to that topic. Conversation is two way – with
questions and responses. Children who engage in such discussion
build their vocabularies and also learn the value of higher-level
interaction with language. -
Build “word consciousness” by playing word games
that focus on meaning.
You might play 20 Questions, which is a game of reasoning with
words. “I’m thinking of an animal.” Then allow questions that can
only be answered with yes or no. Or play a guessing game with a
word clue. “I’m thinking of a word that starts with b and is
something a monkey likes to eat.” You might take a word walk where
you decide to walk outdoors and name everything you can find that
begins with the letter “t.” Be sure to match the game to your
child’s age and ability levels. -
Study Greek and Latin Root Words.
This is a powerful tool for learning new vocabulary and for gaining
meaning of words. There are many good study books on root words.
It’s enlightening to know that all words with “ped” in them have
something to do with feet and movement. -
Use computer technol
ogy to teach new vocabulary.
Children love to play online games and there are excellent programs
to increase vocabulary and have fun at the same time. Try
pbskids.org/games/vocabulary or vocabulary.co.il.
The most effective forms of building word knowledge come from methods that
actively engage the child, not in mere drill and memory work. While it is
of some value to memorize the meaning of words, true mastery of a word
requires that it be seen and used in proper context. Writing a story using
the words jousting, castle and knight will extend and cement real
understanding of words in that word bank. Matching the words to their
meaning is a more valuable experience than just memorizing the meaning.
In the adult world, those persons with a larger working vocabulary are much
more likely to be successful in their careers. Conversely, those who begin
life with a smaller word bank go on to receive lower academic marks and
score lower on standardized tests. This in turn can affect their success in
the work world.
The sooner children begin to build a robust vocabulary, the more they
improve their skills in effective reading, writing and all forms of
communication.
Resources
- Enhancemyvocabulary.com
- Teachervision.com
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“10 Research-Tested Ways to Build Children’s Vocabulary” by Nell Duke and
Annie M. Moses. Scholastic ReadingLine. -
“Helping Your Child at Home with Vocabulary Building.” Child Development
Institute. - Readingrockets.org
- U.S. Department of Education
- Colorincolorado.org
