My husband is the master of big words. He is practically a walking dictionary. It used to frustrate me because I always felt a bit inferior when he would fill a conversation with words that were beyond my realm of understanding. However, I have since learned that my own knowledge base grew immensely from this constant immersion in vocabulary. My speech, reading, and writing skills have all improved because of his insistence on using little known or rarely utilized words.
Recently, I have found myself teasing my husband for using words that my four-year-old and two-year-old could not possibly comprehend. The conversations are well above their understanding. I question his reasoning for incorporating such words in his dialogue with our children. As a certified teacher and a fairly seasoned parent, you would have thought I knew better than to underestimate the learning capabilities of young children.
How else are children, or adults for that matter, supposed to learn new words if we do not use them where they can hear them? Children learn through example, experience, and practice. This revelation has given me the impotence to use a wider variety of words with and near my children, as well as a mission to challenge my children to use more and new vocabulary in their own conversations.
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Written by Laura on March 24, 2010
Young children learn new vocabulary words by hearing them as they are used in conversation. Parents do not need to make flashcards (which the children couldn’t read anyway) or drill children with lists of words found in a vocabulary book. Children naturally pick up new words when they hear them. Most parents have experienced just how quickly children can learn a new word and use it in the
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Written by BRWI Staff on March 19, 2010
By now, most people have heard at least one of the public service announcements describing how it is important to talk to your child in regular, complete sentences as opposed to the “baby talk” many people tend to begin using in the presence of a little one. Children learn by example, so when they hear adults talking with correct grammar and sentence structure, they begin to mimic the
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Written by BRWI Staff on February 1, 2010
Although there are certainly many wonderful children’s stories which have been written in recent years, there is just something different about classic children’s stories that were written years ago. The most notable feature that stands out in these older stories is the vocabulary.
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Written by BRWI Staff on December 18, 2009
I love to watch my children learn. There are moments throughout the day where I can see the light go on. I can actually see them processing information. This is especially evident in my four-year-old whom is in a stage of asking about the meaning of various words which he has heard.
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Written by Laura on December 4, 2009
If you think back to your middle school and high school days, you may remember having a set of vocabulary words that had to be learned for each chapter or unit in a text book. You may recall a commonly used activity where you write the word, look up the definition, and use the word in a sentence. Although not the best way to learn vocabulary, it probably helped you learn the new words at least f
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Written by BRWI Staff on August 31, 2009
“The perro hid the hueso in a agujero in the jardin.” This sentence is pretty confusing if you don’t speak Spanish. However, this gives you an idea of how a beginning reader can feel if they don’t understand the words they are reading or listening to. If possible, you should skim through a book you are going to read to your child to search for words of which they may not
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Written by BRWI Staff on June 3, 2009
When you think of a playground, you probably picture children having fun on slides, swings, teeter-totters, and a myriad of other equipment on which children can climb and swing. But this wonderful place of adventure can also be used to enhance your preschooler’s vocabulary as she delights in all of its typical pleasures. Encourage your child to go up steps and down a slide. He can walk
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Written by BRWI Staff on May 21, 2009
My three-year-old has a vocabulary that continues to expand daily. It is amazing how easily he takes in words and phrases and then learns to use them in his own conversations with others. Most of the time he uses the new vocabulary correctly. When he doesn’t, it only takes a short explanation (after snickering quietly so he doesn’t see) to help him realize how he should use the word
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Written by Laura on May 6, 2009
Vocabulary development is a building block for reading and writing. You can expand your child’s vocabulary word bank by exposing your child to the world of sensory detail. Start with the sense of smell.
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Written by BRWI Staff on February 23, 2009
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