Big Interest with Big Words
As adults, we often have low expectations of what our preschool children are able to comprehend. We will often speakwith them using only short, common words instead of engaging them in a conversation with the more accurate vocabulary appropriate for the topic begin discussed.
It is probably a natural habit that we have formed because it is true that, at three-years-old, children have not yet had the experiences adults have had and, therefore, do not have the same depth in their vocabulary. However, how is it that children are to learn this vocabulary if we don’t teach it to them? Must they wait until they are school age to learn the names of flowers? Do they need to be in college to learn about the different types of clouds?
My experience has been that young children typically understand more than we give them credit for, especially when they express an interest in a subject. For example, my preschooler can speak perfect pirate lingo. Why not use that interest to help him learn the correct names for the parts of the ship? He is perfectly capable of understanding “port” and “starboard” instead of using “left” and “right” sides of the ship. Those are now two new words added to his vocabulary.
Don’t be afraid of teaching your children the words that seem more complicated or that we label as “big” words. You may be amazed at how able your child is to not only understand what you are saying, but to use those words correctly in his own conversations and pretend play.
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Written by Laura on May 2, 2011
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