When introducing new words to your young learner, keep the following four helpful hints in mind: First, provide a simple, kid-friendly definition for the new word:Įnormous means that something is really, really big. The best words to explore with your child are ones that are common among adult speakers but are less common to see in the books your child might read. Choose which words to talk about carefully - choosing every new word might make reading seem like a chore. Sharing a new word with your child doesn’t have to take a long time: just a few minutes to talk about the word and then focus back on the book or conversation. Conversations and questions about interesting words (“The book says, ‘The boy tumbled down the hill,’ and look at the picture! How do you think he went down the hill?”) are easy ways to get new words into everyday talk.
Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Spend some time looking at the signage and identifying new words, then connecting them to what you see right there. Visits to a museum, the zoo, the botanical garden, historical sites, and even your neighborhood park are terrific opportunities to introduce your child to new words. What’s the smallest item in the cart? The largest item? Explore your world Have your child find a big fruit, a bigger fruit and the biggest fruit in the produce section. Opportunities to use superlatives, those little endings that help describe size, are all around the grocery store. Use the items on the grocery shelf to give your child practice finding something above their belly button, below their nose, on the bottom shelf, and between other items on a shelf. If the book has a glossary, spend some time discussing the words with your child, and as you read aloud stop as often as needed to think about new words and how they connect to what your child already knows about. Nonfiction and informational books (such as the picture books by Gail Gibbons and Sneed Collard) offer young children a treasure chest of new and interesting words about our world. A great story also provides context and illustrations for learning a new word. Books provide words they won’t encounter in everyday conversations as the language of books is more complete and formal than talking. Reading aloud to your child and having your child read books on their own is the best way to increase their vocabulary. Try these vocabulary activities at home! Read aloud every day You’re getting your child off to a great start by developing an early interest in words. We all learn about words throughout our lifetime. True word learning happens after being exposed to words several times. Don’t expect your child to learn a new word after one conversation or one read aloud. Word learning and vocabulary growth takes time and patience. Then offer a kid-friendly definition of the word and connect it to a similar word and a shared experience. When you come upon a new and interesting word, take the time to stop and ask your child what they think that word might mean in the context of the story. Reading aloud exposes your child to lots of vivid language that is not found in books for beginning readers.
For example, instead of saying, “this pizza is good” you might say, “this pepperoni pizza tastes spicy.” Read with your child every day Use rich language in conversations with your childĮven very young children love to hear and learn new words! Help your child expand their word bank and knowledge of the world by using interesting and vivid words instead of simpler language in your everyday conversations. Conversations and questions about interesting words are easy ways to get new words into everyday talk. Talking to and reading with your pre-K child are two terrific ways to help them hear new words.
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