The basis of a lifelong love and talent for learning may very well be a solid vocabulary.
A strong vocabulary helps foster understanding, communication, and reading ability.
That’s why parents should do what they can to help kids learn new words.
Consider these oft-overlooked ways tohelp your child develop an impressive vocabularyfor years to come.
Like it or not,you’re their teacherforall aspects of life!
Of course, this is an excellent way to expand reading and vocabulary skills.
Then, let your child take the reigns to wherever his or her imagination leads.
Be sure to ask rhetorical questions during the story so that introduce new words and concepts.
Make a point to use new words in regular conversations thereafter.
Kids constantly absorb everything they hear.
The more they hear you speak, the more you could teach them.
As kids get older, give them a chance to speak more and practice their burgeoning vocabulary on you.
Several old-school favorites are Boggle, Hangman, and Apples to Apples.
This is great for youngsters who are still learning simple words.
If you want your children’s language skills to improve, take their vocabulary questions seriously.
When they express curiosity about a word, be sure to teach the correct definition and pronunciation.
Do your best to simplify definitions, but provide copious detail and examples.
If you’re asked, “What does ‘gigantic’ mean?”
say more than just “big.”
Correct Mistakes With Care
It’s natural for children to mispronounce or misuse new words.
However, it’s essential not to reprimand when they make such mistakes.
This is completely normal.
Children develop at their own pace.
The most important thing is to honor and balance their needs so that learning doesn’t become a struggle.
Shawn Greer writes about lifestyle topics including family and home, parenting, and money management.
Image adapted fromchrisbrignellandMarius Pirvu(Shutterstock).
Additional photos byElliot Brown,Cristian Bortes,Anthony Mendez,eyeliam,Alexander Lyubavin(Flickr).
Want to see your work on Lifehacker?
