How To Improve My Child’s Vocabulary: Fun Tips to Use Every Day
A few weeks ago I sauntered into parent’s night at my daughter’ school, confident that we’d hear a few clever stories, beam with pride, and look over some of her work as evidence that she was “right on track.” However, this parent-teacher conference took an unexpected turn as the topic of conversation transitioned to her vocabulary.
“Your daughter is currently behind grade level” — words no parent wants to hear.
Feeling nervous and in need of direction, I immediately reached out to Lauren, an elementary reading specialist and English teacher, to help me understand more about my daughter’s learning and to gain practical advice and strategies to implement into my own home. Here is what she has to say:
First thing’s first. If you’ve just learned your child’s vocabulary is not up to standard, you’re not alone. It’s estimated at least 40% of students are lacking the vocabulary necessary to access their learning. - Lauren, English teacher and reading specialist
The Vocabulary Crisis
Imagine trying to navigate a history textbook, solve a word problem in math class, or discuss scientific theories when you’re constantly having to wade through confusing jargon.
One of the best predictor of future academic success is a large vocabulary. But the truth is for many students, the vocabulary gap between themselves and their at-level peers is real and will continue to grow larger with each passing grade.
This results in a lowering of their self-esteem and overall performance along the way. This is why it is crucial to close the word gap if we are to help our kids succeed both inside and out of the classroom.
How to Help Your Child’s Learning
As parents, our first instinct is to get to work to try and help our child. However, just because your intentions are good, doesn’t mean you’ll be effective. There is overwhelming research stating that the methods you likely grew up with have little to no benefit. This means you can leave your dictionaries on the shelf and take your rote-memorization tasks elsewhere!
Classroom Vocabulary Instruction
As for current teaching practices, I began attending workshops for vocabulary instruction as soon as I set foot in my first teaching job.
Vocabulary is a huge focus in many schools and curriculums, and is likely centered on explicit instruction of academic words, followed by a deep dive into their context, repeated, meaningful, and active practice, and word analysis strategies.
If this sounds like a lot, no need to fret. Let the teacher take the explicit instruction and here is how you can support from home:
Do:
Ask your child about what they’re learning
Consciously try to work in old and new vocabulary words into your speech in a natural way
Make a big deal when they use a new vocabulary word that they have studied
Challenge your kid to a competition to see who can use the vocab words the most throughout the week, bonus points for finding your words in a book!
Don’t:
Overwhelm your child with too many words. Professor Nell Duke suggests you stick to five a week
Nell K. Duke is a professor in Literacy, Language, and Culture, and in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology, at the University of Michigan. Her work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty.
Indirect Vocabulary Instruction:
While explicit instruction is necessary, creating rich opportunities to naturally acquire new language is just as important. Not only is this an area where parents can make a big difference, but it’s also where you’ll see the most growth. A child typically needs to read/hear a word between 4-12 times before it becomes part of their vocabulary. With that being said, here’s how you can create better environments for indirect acquisition:
DO:
Read daily
When we look at the data, there’s no denying reading is one of the most advantageous activities a child can do. But how much time should a child read per day? Fifteen minutes of reading a day is the sweet spot for witnessing student growth. However, the ideal number is 30+ minutes. Students who read for half an hour or more from K to 12 will encounter as many as 12 million more words than a child who reads less than 15 minutes.
Encourage exploration of new topics/subjects/interests
The importance of reading different genres will open your child to new worlds. But where to start? Take a hike, go to a museum - whatever it takes to get your kids talking and exploring new subjects. Then, schedule a visit to the library or the local bookstore to explore different genres of nonfiction books!
Have daily, one-on-one conversations together
How to get a non-reader to read? Try and take your “how was school?” conversations a bit further. Talk about the world, ask about their interests, and answer their questions without oversimplifying your answers. This is a great way to gauge the types of books that your child would be interested in. Be sure to visit the Reading Quests Library for recommendations to get you started!
DON’T:
“Dumb it down”
The key here is to not replace complex words with “kid-friendly” terms. Kids have much higher receptive vocabularies than expressive, meaning they can understand a lot more than they can produce. So, next time you go to simplify, stop yourself and choose the more complex words instead.
A 2-Minute Tutorial on Building Vocabulary in Kids
This video from reading specialist Elizabeth Babbin, M.Ed from Understood gives expert advice on how to make building vocabulary a part of your child’s daily routine. Understood is a nonprofit, social impact organization that works with the 1 in 5 people who have a learning and thinking difference.
“Building your child’s vocabulary will help them develop a greater command of language and ideas and that can make all the difference in becoming a successful reader”.”
More Fun Vocabulary Activities Your Child Will Love
1. Build an arsenal of fun word games
Word games are fantastic for reading as well as vocabulary. Games like Scrabble, Bananagrams, Boggle are all fantastic ideas for your 7-12 year old. Another old classic is I Spy which provides the perfect opportunity to showcase some of your most descriptive language.
2. Set up a “reading nook
Choose a small, cozy area to set up some pillows and blankets, maybe even string some fairy lights if you’d like! Then, head on over to the bookstore or the library and pick out some books to complete their mini library. The goal is for reading to feel less like a chore and to spur children to read for pleasure, creating a lifelong habit they can take with them into adulthood.
3. Set up a Word Wall
Who doesn’t love seeing their progress? Find a place in the house to write down your kid’s vocabulary words and hang them on the wall. Not only will it instill some confidence, but it can inspire younger siblings while also including the older ones. You could either use the words from school, or do a family “word of the day” and watch it grow.
4. Enjoy new experiences as a family
Expanding your child’s interests are great ways to naturally grow their vocabularies. As you explore, be inquisitive, they’ll likely join right in! For example, if you’re at the zoo you can ask questions about species or habitats which can be an ongoing discovery and conversation as you make your way past the exhibits. Best part? They won’t even know they’re learning!
