How To Help Improve Your Child’s Vocabulary

Having the privilege to witness the growth of a child is one of the biggest perks of being a parent. Among many other things, a child’s language development is perhaps the most exciting progress to witness. From incomprehensible (but adorable) sounds as babies to more advanced complicated words, it is amazing how many words children can learn in just a couple of years.

Importance Of Language Development

Language isn’t just a method of communicating with others, it is also a form of self-expression and idea generation. When children start to explore the uses of language in their daily lives, they develop skills in reading, writing and speaking all at the same time. The more words they know, the more confident they become in expressing their thoughts to others.

Tutor Rise also takes pride in the fact that we help develop our students’ vocabulary. Enriching children with useful words in their daily lives isn’t our only goal, we take it to the next level and prepare them with a rich word bank in preparation for their 11+ exams.

But of course, learning does not end at school. We encourage our students and their parents to continue even in their own homes. Here are some ways parents can improve their child’s vocabulary:

How to improve Your Child’s vocabulary

If you are like many other parents who are preparing for their child’s 11+ exams, you might want to try these educational but fun ways to learn new words with your child:

Read, Read, Read

A child who reads books often gets exposed to new words constantly. When faced with a new word, your child is challenged to make inferences based on the available written text alone . Improving their use of context clues also makes them less dependent on a dictionary and being able to do so is an advantage when taking the 11+ exams. Have a look at our 11+ suggested reading list.

Play Word Games

Expanding your child’s vocabulary does not have to be so lonely. If your little one loves playing games, incorporate a bit of language development into the fun. With a huge selection of word games from crossword puzzles to Scrabble and Boggle, there’s bound to be something your child will be interested in. Invite your whole family into the game to make it even more challenging

Communicate

Simply communicating with your child and asking them what their thoughts are goes a long way. This isn’t just another way for parents to bond with their children, it is a chance for parents and their child to exchange words.

Get to know the words your child has learned from other people in their surroundings and take this chance to correct them when needed. Use this time to introduce new words to your child as well and challenge them to use it in their own way.

Learn One New Word A Day

Teach your child to learn one new word a day. There are plenty of applications or websites that are easily accessible these days. Simply download a program and receive daily Word of the Day’s. Set up a routine with your child in the morning or on the way to school for this activity. Before starting their day in school, challenge them to use the word in a sentence throughout the day.

Create A Personal Word Bank

While learning new words everyday, you may want to help them keep track of the words they have learned. A simple notebook or a deck of blank flashcards for them to write on will help them remember those words for future use. The great thing about having such a system is that it also allows parents to view what their children have been learning and will be able to create even more challenging activities using those words.

Keep A Dictionary Specifically For Children

Although there is a simple app for your tablet or phone for a dictionary, keeping a children’s dictionary at home is almost like a picture book that allows children to explore new words within their reach. The difference between a traditional dictionary and one specifically targeted for children is the fact that most of them have vivid pictures.

Although your child might not be looking for a particular word in the dictionary, once they spot an image that piques their interest, they are able to see the words associated with those photos.

Encourage Them To Keep A Journal

Your child might prefer to write about their own experiences in their own way. If this is your child, you may want to use a journal to improve your child’s vocabulary. Let them write their own creative stories or inspire them to keep a diary.

Writing helps your child use the words they know to express themselves better. As they learn new words, you will begin to see them in their writing. Who knows? They might be an aspiring writer.

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How Do You Improve Your Child’s Vocabulary?

What were the methods you have used to inspire your children to learn more words? Let us know your experiences preparing for the 11+ exams in the comments below.