Jan Pierce, M. Ed.
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 their meanings. Children with a larger vocabulary 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.
As a parent you can boost your child’s vocabulary by:
- Incorporating 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 your kids to
read, read, read independently. Researchers say we learn from 5% to 15% 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…or maybe on their computer.
- Foster real
discussion in your home. Make dinner time 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
twenty 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.
- A powerful tool for learning new vocabulary and for gaining
meaning of words is studying Greek and
Latin root 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
technology 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 www.pbskids.org/games/vocabulary
or Education.com. whose theme is
vocabulary can be fun.
READ MORE: Squiggles to Words: The Emergent Writer
The most effective forms of building word knowledge come
from methods that actively engage your 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 your children begin to build a robust vocabulary,
the more they improve their skills in effective reading, writing and all forms
of communication.
Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is
a retired teacher and author of Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read. Find
Jan at www.janpierce.net.
Sources
www.enhancemyvocabulary.com
10 Research-tested Ways to Build Children’s Vocabulary by
Nell Duke and Annie M. Moses.
Reading Rockets, Department of Education, Colorin Colorado.
Offering bilingual information.