Top 5 Ways To Increase A Child’s Vocabulary

Children have developmental milestones that they have to reach as they grow. While some may develop faster, there are others who may struggle a bit more in some areas. One of the most common developmental milestones has to do with the vocabulary. 

A child’s vocabulary should start developing early on as this forms the foundation of talking, reading, and writing. If you feel, however, that your little one needs help along this line, fret not as there are now many ways that you, as the primary caregiver of your child, can help.

That said, here are the top five ways to increase your child’s vocabulary:

1. Introduce A Word Every Day

In a year, there are 365 days. This means that through your effort alone, your child may be able to learn 365 words in a year. Add this up to the many new words that they learn from other people, such as relatives, friends, and teachers. You can also use tools that can help you track the words your child has learned, such as a word count tool, for instance. That way, you’re doing an active part in increasing your child’s vocabulary.

As you introduce the word, don’t just say it out loud. Also teach them its spelling and meaning, as well as how to write it and use it in a simple sentence. 

2. Always Converse With Your Child

This tip may sound like an all-too-simple advice, but it’s also one that’s highly neglected by many. There are still parents who forget about the importance of talking and conversing with their children. Even if they’re still infants, talk to your kids. They may not respond to you yet, and you may feel as if you’ve got nothing to talk about, but they’re able to grasp whatever you tell them.

No matter how busy you are, talk to your child. You can even start by talking out loud what you’re doing in a day. For instance, you’re cleaning the house or doing some garden work and your little one is close by. Talk to them about cleaning the house, what you’re doing, etc. When your kid has questions, no matter how boring or simple and annoying those may be, answer them. Doing this is an excellent way to keep that conversation going.

More so, even when you’re a working parent and you have to be away for most of the day, when you get home, allot at least ten minutes of your time for conversing with your child.. Simple as it may seem, it could already make a huge difference.

3. Read To Your Children

With the coming in of smartphones and other gadgets, it’s very easy for parents to forget about the importance of books. But, when you were growing up, is it not that you enjoyed reading books, too?  Kids are also the same. The problem isn’t in the fact that they’re disinterested in books. It’s in the parents who fail to introduce books.

Reading is also one of the best ways to increase a child’s vocabulary. They are able to learn more words, about sentence construction, and even grammar through books. Don’t forget that books are of superior quality as these have gone through a rigorous process of editing.

Along this line, here are tips to follow:

• Read the book aloud to your kids or have story time before they go to bed.
• Give your child a chance to choose the books from your collection at home, or when shopping for new ones.
• Interact with your child by reading through taking pauses, asking questions, and pointing photos, among others.

4. Make Learning Fun

A challenge for parents who are laden with household works and professional jobs is balancing their time. Among all the work that has to be done in a day, making time to encourage kids’ learning may always end up last. But, it doesn’t always have to be that way. You can promote learning by making it fun and incorporating it into your daily chores.

Here’s one trick to follow: label some of the items in the house with sticky notes. As you go about with your day and your child also moves around the house, when they come across these notes, remove them. Then, read them aloud and spell them out. That way, they learn new words every day.

5. Play Games That Encourage Building Vocabulary

Rather than letting your child face the TV screen all day or play video games, the next time that you shop, choose educational games. That way, your kids play and learn at the same time. There are many games today that encourage vocabulary, like Scrabble and Boggle.

Conclusion

With these tips that you can easily adopt at home, now your child can become a better master of words. Vocabulary is very important as it forms the foundation of many of the skills needed by a kid as they move on in life. Speaking, reading, and writing are just a few. With a strong and extensive vocabulary early on, you’re better assured that your little one has that edge or is at par with the development of kids their age.