Are you raising a little linguist lapidary dynamo? If so, I bet that you want your kids to be able to learn and speak as many words as possible. The earlier you start, the better, in fact. But how does one go about starting conversations with their kids about words? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.
1. Let the Word Begin
As your child grows older, go over the meanings of words together. This is important before they are two years old. The younger they are, the more likely they will not be able to understand it as well. As you explain the meaning of each word, also discuss where words come from. Discussing how to pronounce and spell is vital, but don’t be too concerned with it right now; just do what you can with your baby or toddler’s vocabulary and spelling skills at their age.
2. Assign words as You Go Along
This is a great way to teach your child how to read. A word that you hear often will stick out in your child’s mind. What they will want to do is learn it. Give them the chance to learn and use the word by giving them an opportunity to hear it, and think of an appropriate context to try and remember it in, both in real life and following their reading practice.
3. Read Books Together
Reading books together will teach your child how sound works together with the meaning of words. They will be able to see how many different ways there can be for one sound or written character. This will help them when they read books on their own.
4. Encourage Reading
Reading is a great way for children to learn new words and how sounds work together. You can encourage reading by asking them to read certain books that you know they like or that your child has heard about, or introduce them to good new children’s books. Reading to your child is one of the best ways to help their vocabulary grow, and helps develop their love for reading in general.
5. Ask Them Questions
Since you already know the meaning of many words, you can ask your child a lot of questions about these words as soon as they start speaking. This will help them to learn the words they need in the future. Your child will be able to tell you when they don’t know a word and will get the right answer. This can be a great way to teach your child how important it is to learn words, and how much fun it is to ask questions!
6. Teach Them How To Spell It
Spoken words are easy for children to spell at first because there are only about five different letters in their first years. When your child hits their late toddler years, however, you will have more choices of words with which he or she can spell them. Help them to find the right word by getting them to sound out words with you.
7. Do What You Can With Spelling
As I said before, your child’s spelling will be terrible at first, but it should improve quickly. As it does, have your child spell and write often with his or her toys or on paper. This will help them to remember the correct way of spelling words they use often.
8. Read! Read! Read!
It is important for you to read to your child as much as possible so that he or she can learn new words and how their sounds work together. Reading will encourage reading, and reading will help your child think of words they haven’t heard before or are not using much, thus helping them to learn new words. And remember – they will be always learning.
9. Talk With Them About Words
It is also important to talk with your child about the meaning of words in a meaningful way instead of just throwing any old word out without explanation. Explain why you used it and how its meaning fits into the story. This helps your child understand words more and shows them how important it is for them to learn more about their language!
10. Teach Them About Conversations
Language is a system for communicating with other people. It can be used in many different settings and situations. When you teach your child about language, try to think of ways that he or she could use words while interacting with others. Talk to them about using their words the correct way, when they could say something, and how it could fit into their lives in general. Help your child learn how to communicate!
11. Explain That Language Is Always Changing
Language is always changing because all of us are always changing the way we use language every day. When you talk about it, talk about how language changes and how we are changing it, as well as other things that can affect it. Make your learning experience a fun one!
12. Hold Conversations
When you have time to sit down with your child and have a conversation, use this time to help them learn some new words. Have him or her try to use the words they know in the correct way while you are talking with them; they will be able to see the right way of using their words, and then be able to use it more often in real life!
